Pokemon: The Transformation II
by Eye of Phoenix
Summary: There is a legend. A legend of humans that were turned into Pokemon. It has been over 100 years and it has faded. However, when five people are transformed, the time has come for the truth of come out. WARNING: Violence and possible blood.
1. Chapter 1

There is a story….a legend, really…..several humans that were transformed into Pokemon. It is unclear if this is the truth or if it is a mere myth, but it is a story that has been passed down generation through generation.

In this legend, the humans had to venture to the Land of the Legendaries in order to find Mew. It was said that there were six that were transformed, but three were lost in the mission to regain their humanity. One was captured. Another decided to live as a Pokemon. The third became a legendary Pokemon.

What happened to the three others? The ones who returned to human? As the legend goes, the woman with the heart of a Scyther stole the item that was used to transform the humans and hid it away. At the end of her life, she took the machine and carried it to the mountains. The woman was never seen again. It was assumed that she died.

The other two, the woman with the heart of an Absol and the woman with the heart of a Lucario, lived out their lives. They spread the message of their adventure. However, many years passed and they died. The story faded out of memory.

That is…until a white legendary Pokemon with no name appeared. This Pokemon was key in the story and was once a human. She inspired the people to create shrines around the region. One was built in the mountains, another was built in a valley, a third was built in a cave, and the forth was built in a forbidden forest. The Pokemon instructed the humans that each shrine would show one of the Pokemon that the humans transformed to.

And so, one hundred years after those events, the legend lives on. It is carried by the breath of the winds and on the waves of the seas. The ground and trees sing this legend of these humans and their epic quest.

That is the legend that is passed down generation through generation….

"Gramps! I'm tired of hearing about that stupid legend! You can't prove if it's true or not." Amanda, a sixteen year old, said. She was sitting on the ground and looking at her grandfather with an annoyed stare.

Her grandfather laughed, "My child, this is the truth. My father, your great-grandfather, saw the white beast and told me that it was beyond beauty."

Amanda rolled her eyes and growled, "This is nuts. You do realize that you're nuts, right?"

Her grandfather sighed, "Young people these days don't care about legends. All you care about is parties and hanging out with your friends."

"That's right. May I go now?" Amanda sighed. Her grandfather let her go. _Those people live too much in the past. That was just a story to keep the people entertained._ She bit her lip with annoyance.

"Hey! Amanda!" A seventeen year old neighbor girl named Heather called out. "What's up?"

"Gramps told me that stupid story again. You know the one? About those humans that turned into Pokemon?"

"Not again. That's annoying….I hate it when my grandparents start ranting about that story too. When will they realize that all it is is just a tale? A myth."

Amanda sighed and looked up. She saw several Pidgey in the tree that sat in her yard. "Yeah. Seriously annoyng."

Right then, a boy stuck his head out of the door in Heather's house. "Sis? Mom wants me to ask what you want to eat for lunch." The twin brother of Heather, Kyle, yelled from the door.

"I'm not hungry." Heather called back. She turned back to Amanda. "You know what? We should go to the beach."

"That sounds like a great idea! The beach is just a few miles away from here."

Heather grinned, "Let me ask Mom if I can go. She might force me to bring Kyle." She turned and bolted toward the house. Amanda waited for her to return. After a few minutes, Heather and Kyle came outside. Both were holding beach towels and sunscreen. "I have to get my cousin, Mark. He's a few years younger than us, so expect him to be immature."

Amanda groaned, "You're kidding, right? Marky has to go too?"

"Yeah." Kyle moaned. It was obvious that he didn't want the cousin to go too. "Just be nice to him. He's ten."

"Alright. If I have to." Amanda teased. She followed the group to a smallish house near the forest. "This looks…nice."

Heather and Kyle approached the door and knocked. It opened, revealing a boy with brown hair and blue eyes. "Cousin Heather! Cousin Kyle!" The boy, which Amanda assumed was Mark, yelled.

"We're going to the beach. You want to come?" Heather asked. She flipped her long brown hair.

The boy nearly wet himself. "YES! Hang on! Mom! Where are my swimming trucks?" He bolted upstairs.

"He's excitable…" Amanda muttered.

Kyle sighed, "Yeah."

A few minutes later and Mark was back. "I'm ready!!" His face looked like he had seen a Gengar. Amanda realized that it was because of all the sunscreen his mom had put on his face and arms. However, he smelled like a ripened banana.

Kyle lifted Mark and sat him on his shoulders. "Come on, munchkin. Let's go." He staggered a bit, trying to get used to the extra weight on his upper body.

The four made their way to the beach. When they got within range of smelling the sea, Mark gasped, "The ocean!!" He wiggled with excitement.

"Easy. Easy." Kyle moaned, wobbling. Then he noticed a girl standing on the beach. A girl with red hair. "Well….I guess this isn't going to be a waste of time after all." He said smoothly.

Heather jabbed him with an elbow. "Easy, Romeo."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a flash of light appeared. "What's that?" Amanda cried. She could feel her retinas burning with the light.

"My eyes!" The red haired girl yelped in surprise just a few feet away.

Heather groaned, "What was that? That light? Where did it come from?"

The light faded, but all Amanda could see was purple spots. She blinked a few times, trying to focus. "What the? A Suicune!!" She gasped.

The Suicune turned its head and yelped, "A Ho-oh!!"

Amanda blinked again. _Ho-oh? What? I don't see it._ She looked around and saw that she was surrounded by a Suicune, an Entei, and a Raikou. A Lugia stood a few feet away. "What's going on? Can someone please explain?" She asked.

The Entei looked scared. "MOMMY!! I'm scared!!" The giant beast wailed. Embers shot out from its back.

The Suicune sat down. "I have a really bad feeling about this." She muttered.

The Raikou looked at the Suicune. "Sis? That you?"

"Kyle?"

"Yeah. I guess the legend was true after all."

The Lugia approached them. "So you know about the legend too. That's good. We should stick together. Help each other."

"Who are you?" Amanda asked. She realized that she had wings.

"I am Karen." The Lugia replied. "And you are a Ho-oh."

Amanda looked at herself. "Yup. I am a Ho-oh."


	2. Chapter 2

The sunlight glimmered on the sea and the reflection of five legendary Pokemon was visible. The Suicune that had been originally a girl named Heather turned her head and looked at the water. "Now what? Do we just stay here?" She asked. The long steamer-like tails flowed alongside of her blue body.

The large Lugia, named Karen, turned her long neck in order for her to face Heather. "No. That is unwise. Trainers will come to the beach and find us irresistible." She said.

"Who died and made you leader?" Amanda, a Ho-oh, demanded. She was used to taking charge and ordering her friends around. It seemed odd that she would be taking orders from a complete stranger.

Karen snapped her white head to face Amanda. "No one did. I am stating the truth. Oh look. There are some trainers now." She began to open her wings. As she opened them, black fins along her back opened. Usually they remained attached to her body, making it streamline.

The Entei, Mark, rose up on his hindlegs. "We have to run! Mommy!!" It seemed funny that a mighty Entei would be calling for his mommy. However, Mark was only a kid.

Kyle, the Raikou, nodded toward Karen. "You make sense. I think we should get out of here. Fast." His blue tail whipped nervously and sparks began to shoot off of him.

Amanda, accepting defeat, sighed, "Let's just go." She opened her rainbow colored wings and flapped them hard. _Wait a second! I don't know how to fly!!_ She thought, gasping.

Then, out of nowhere, a voice entered her mind. _**Trust yourself.**_ The female voice echoed deep within Amanda's mind. She had no idea who spoke, but decided that it would be best to listen.

"Come on, Amanda!! Fly!" Heather called. She was standing on the water. Amanda blinked. Her friend was standing on top of the water, like it was ground.

Karen opened her massive white wings further, then flapped hard. Several flaps later and she was airborne. "That was fun. Come on!" She called down.

Amanda sighed again and flapped hard. Suddenly, a gust of wind hit her wings and she shot up into the sky. "I'm up! I'm actually flying!!"

The wind allowed the two to fly higher. Karen back flipped and closed her fins along her back. Then she dived into the sea. Under the water, Karen's Lugia instincts felt safe. This was her home. _Wait. Home? This isn't my home._ She thought, but loved the feeling of water rushing over her long body. Then she noticed that Heather was racing on top of the water, following her.

On the surface, Kyle and Mark couldn't follow Heather and Karen. "I wish I could walk on water." Mark whined.

Kyle ignored his cousin. He watched his sister dancing on the sea. _That's so amazing. However, I can zap her if I had to. That would be mean, though._

Suddenly, a massive whirlpool appeared and Karen shot up out of the middle. She flapped hard and the fins opened once again. "Guys. I think we have fooled around enough. It's time to get serious. We need to figure out why we are like this." She called down.

Amanda looked at the Lugia. It seemed that she and Karen were opposites. "Why?" She decided to ask.

"Do you intend to remain in these forms forever? I don't." Karen retorted, swishing her tail with slight annoyance.

"Uh. I agree with Karen." Heather called up to Amanda. "We'll be totally grounded if we aren't home by supper."

Kyle licked his long fangs. "Yeah, sis is right."

"Cousin Heather! Will Mommy be angry at me?" Mark asked.

Karen landed next to the ground and looked at the others. "The legend will be our guide. As we all know, Mew was the one who turned the humans back. I don't know if Mew still exists or not."

"We need a back-up plan." Kyle nodded.

Heather looked up. "Wasn't there a human that was stuck in her Pokemon form? That white beast?"

Karen moaned with excitement. "That's right! We need to find the white beast!"

"And how long with that take us?" Amanda asked.

All eyes turned to Karen. "Why are you all looking at me? I have no idea." She began to think. "However, if we can reach the Land of the Legendaries….then we can summon the white beast to us."

"And where is that?" Heather asked.

Kyle began to spark when he cried, "The legend tells us that! It's located on the other side of a pond that can transport you to that land."

"And where is that?" Heather asked again.

Kyle went blank. "Uhh…I don't know."

"Hmmmm…I'm a psychic Pokemon. I should be able to sense these things." Karen closed her eyes. She focused. _**Is anyone out there? I need directions to the Lland of the Legendaries.**_ There was no answer.

"I guess that didn't work." Amanda snickered.

Karen looked up. "Shut up. I'm trying here!" She focused again. _**Please. Help us. We need to reach the Land of the Legendaries.**_

_**You are wasting your time if you plan on going there.**_ A voice!

Karen's focus deepened. _**Who are you?**_

_**None of your business, but if you seek the sacred land, then you are wasting your time.**_

_**Why?**_ Karen began to strain. This extended conversation using mental powers was tiring.

The voice was female and sounded like it belonged to a human. However, it had to be a Pokemon. A Pokemon with immense powers. _**I don't have time to explain right now, but have no fear, mortal. I will locate you.**_

With that, the message ended. Amanda looked at Karen. "Well? Did you find out anything?" She asked.

"A legendary Pokemon promised to find us." She answered, looking stunned.

Kyle blinked, "A legendary? Do you know who?"

"No, but whoever it is has a lot of power."


	3. Chapter 3

After the strange psychic encounter with the Pokemon without a name, Karen became more eager to get moving. The others, however, were less enthusiastic about roaming into the unknown.

"What makes you think you're correct? That Pokemon that spoke to you might have been something that could tear us apart!" Kyle exclaimed. He still wasn't used to having his electric abilities, meaning that sometimes he would shoot out lighting at random. He almost zapped Amanda.

She yelled at him, "You dolt! What are you thinking?! I'm a flying type!" It was true. She was a dual fire and flying type. Electric would be bad for her. "Come on, Kyle! Mark is having an easier time in controlling himself."

Karen hovered above them. "Come on! Let's go!!" She said. It was clear that she was getting impatient. Also, when it was clear that the others were ignoring her, she decided to use telepathy to get through. _**COME ON!! Let's go!!**_ Her voice bellowed in the minds of the others.

"What was that?" Heather looked around.

Karen sighed, "That was me. I can use telepathy. That might mean…."

"That you can talk to humans?" Mark was hopeful.

Kyle laughed, "Right. No human will let you get close enough for an extended conversation."

"But they might!!" Mark protested.

Amanda growled, "STOP IT! We do not need a battle right now. Let's go. This place gives me the creeps."

"But where do we go?" Heather asked.

"The mountains." Karen said. For some unknown reason, she felt the urge to go there. She didn't know why.

Amanda nodded, "That's as good of direction as any."

And so, Amanda and Karen opened their wings and flew into the sky. Heather, Kyle, and Mark used their speed to follow the duo on the ground. Keeping up with the winged ones was surprisingly easy. It wasn't long before they reached the forest at the bottom of the mountains.

"That didn't take very long." Mark seemed surprised.

Heather stretched out a leg. "That was fun! Boy, I could beat the track team easy in this form!"

"Tell me about it," Kyle agreed. "I could be in the football team easy."

Karen and Amanda rolled their eyes. Then they noticed something resting on the mountainside. Something green and long. "What's that?" Amanda squinted, trying to make out the form.

"I'm not sure." Karen answered. She reached out with her psychic abilities, trying to get an understanding of what they were seeing. _Rayquaza...the sky guardian…_ Her senses told her.

Behind Karen and Amanda, Kyle and Mark began to play fight. They began to make false attacks on each other. Heather watched the two with mild amusement. "You two be careful. I don't think we should be fighting like this. Not in these forests." She warned.

"Oh, Heather, we'll be okay." Kyle promised. Then he launched a massive lighting bolt at Mark. "Oops."

The lighting bolt hit Mark. "WAHHHH!!" He cried, then he used Flamethrower. The blast caught the forest on fire.

"Oh great. What did you idiots do now?" Amanda turned to face the boys.

Karen cocked her head back. "Get back now." She warned before using Hydro Pump to put out the flames.

"You saved the forest!!" Mark gasped.

Suddenly…rumbling began. It was coming from the mountain! Amanda turned to see what it was. "GAH!" She cried. Rayquaza had awoken and had taken flight.

"**WHO DARES AWAKEN ME?!**" The massive green dragon bellowed.

"….Mommy…." Mark whimpered.

Karen stepped forward. "O Great One, please do not obliterate us. We plead to thee." She tried to smooth talk her way out of this mess.

"**Silence! I do not care about your lame excuses! You will pay for disturbing me!**" Rayquaza dived down quickly. It was using Extremespeed.

"No!" The five cried out. They had no idea what would happen to them.

Then, out of nowhere, a white flash appeared. The creature bellowed out and attacked Rayquaza. The green dragon turned and hissed, "**It's you!**"

"**Yes. Now get lost.**" The white beast growled. Rayquaza fled back to its hideout in the mountains. While everyone had their mouths open in awe, the white beast turned to face the five. "**It's about time. I have been waiting for you_._**"

"Who are you?" Amanda asked.

The beast sat down. "**It is none of your business. However, you are in great need of assistance and I'm the only one who can help you. Goodie for me.**"

"Why are you helping us?" Karen asked.

"**Merely because you are like me_._**" The white beast sighed. "**Do you recall the legend of the humans that turned into Pokemon? Can you remember the human who remained in her Pokemon form? That was me. I am that human. Or, shall we say, was that human.**"

"You're the white beast?! The one in the legend?!" Heather yelped. She looked shocked.

"**Yes_._**"

"What happened?" Kyle asked. He was a little less shocked.

"**It's a long story, but I think we have time for it. A long time ago, over one hundred and fifty years ago, I was human. A human not much different than you were. Then, out of nowhere, a blinding flash turned me into a Mightyena. I was terrified. Then, after wandering in the forest for some time, I found three others that had been transformed. You know them as the woman with the heart of an Absol, the woman with the heart of a Lucario, and the woman with the heart of the Scyther, but they had names. Their names died with them.**"

**The woman that had turned into an Absol was Koneko. She was the leader of the group. Inside of her, she was guided by a demon. Koneko was truly a good friend as she protected us at all costs, although she had a level head. **

**The woman who turned into the Lucario was Taylor. She had actually evolved into her Lucario form. However, she was already in better shape than the rest of us were. She was the daughter of one of the legendary trainers. Unfortunately, his name has faded into nothingness. **

**The final woman had turned into a Scyther, but I knew her as a Scizor. Her name was Klara. She was probably the strongest member of the group, fighting off almost anything **keep us safe. At the end of our journey, Klara had been impaled by Regice, but Mew had revived her.

"And your human name was?" Karen asked.

**"I was called Spirit."**


	4. Chapter 4

The white beast, formally known as Spirit, sat next to Amanda, Karen, Kyle, Mark, and Heather. "**Do not have fear. I am not here to harm you, but to guide you. It is my duty as a legendary Pokemon.**" Spirit said quietly.

"Why are you willing to help us?" Amanda asked. She didn't trust Spirit. At least, not very well. It seemed rather odd that this creature from legend would show up exactly when Rayquaza was going to eat them. _Well, maybe not eat, but do a lot of damage to us._

Spirit glanced at her. "**Why do you ask so many questions? The point is that I am here to help you**."

"What about the Land of the Legendaries? Do we have to find Mew?" Karen asked.

The white beast lowered her head. "**Sadly, this modern world, with its pollution and so on, has….completely destroyed our world. Legendary Pokemon now have to scour the land, trying to find a place to stay. It is indeed a tough life. As for Mew, the entire species is extinct. And I mean, extinct. Mew is long gone. And it's thanks to the pollution that you humans produce!**" Spirit seemed to glow with anger.

"You mean it's our fault that Mew doesn't exist any longer?" Kyle blinked a few times. The truth began to dawn upon him. "Then that means that we'll remain as Pokemon?"

Mark began to cry. "No! I want to go home!"

Heather nuzzled her cousin. "Don't worry. I'm sure there's another way."

Spirit licked a paw. "**There is. The shrines. When I ordered the shrines to be built, I had a small item to be placed in each. A sacred item that could revert a transformed human back into their original form, which I broke into four shards. The shards have to be put back together in a certain order or it won't work. I knew that Mew would eventually die out. In fact, lots of Pokemon that lived back in my day are long gone. It was humans that caused this.**"

Kyle nodded his yellow head. "So where are these shrines?"

The white beast looked at him sharply. "**Do not even begin to think that this is going to be an easy quest. One shrine lies in a valley, another in a cave, the third is atop a mountain, and the forth is in a forbidden forest. It will be hard.**"

Mark leaned forward, "Do you think we'll die?"

Heather slapped Mark over the head with a paw. "You moron! Think positive!" She scolded.

Karen and Amanda looked at each other. "We can fly to the mountain. That won't be hard for us." The Ho-oh said softly.

Karen nodded her head. "Amanda makes a point. There's no sense in all of us going to the mountaintops."

Spirit nodded, "**Smart move. I should expect such intelligence coming from you, Amanda and Karen. After all, your ancestors were intelligent as well.**"

"Ancestors? What do you mean?" Karen lowered her neck to looked Spirit in the face.

She laughed, "**Apparently you didn't know. Karen, you are the descendant of Klara. Amanda, you are the descendant of Koneko. Kyle, Heather, and Mark? You three are related to Taylor. It seems rather ironic, doesn't it? Me helping the family of my friends? It's kinda like fate, hm?**"

"We're the family of the women from the legend?" Kyle stared at Spirit with red eyes.

Heather nodded, "It makes sense, I suppose."

Mark looked at Heather. "Does that make us famous?"

"No." She replied dryly.

Amanda flapped her wings several times, causing flames and feathers to scatter the ground. "Can we please go?" She asked a bit more roughly than intended.

Spirit sniffed, "**Fine. We shall go.** **I will lead you to the first shrine—the Shrine of the Absol. It is found within a valley not too far away from here.**" With that, she stood up and walked away. "**Well? Are you coming?**"

"Right!" The five raced after Spirit. Karen and Amanda took wing while Kyle, Heather, and Mark raced alongside of the white beast. They moved swiftly along the ground. Finally, Spirit slowed and stopped.

"**The Valley of the Absol.**" She announced softly.

The valley wasn't nearly as grand as they had imagined. Industrialization had caused humans to tear down trees and turn the rivers to sludge. Grimer and Muk could be seen from atop the hill. "_This_ is the Valley of the Absol?" Karen gasped, landing hard.

"**Sadly. At one time, this valley was full of trees and Pokemon. However…you can see what has happened here. I encountered Koneko, Klara, and Taylor here. Back then, the rivers had crystal clear water. Pidgey and other birds flew in the skies. But not anymore. The sky has become a shade of gray. The water has become murky. The trees are destroyed.**" Spirit sounded bitter.

Heather raised her head. "Maybe I can help fix this land?" She walked nimbly to the water and looked in. _I can do this. Suicune have the ability to clean dirty water._ With that, she stepped on top of the water. In a flash, the dirt and filth vanished, leaving behind crystal clear water.

"Good idea! I can summon thunderstorms! I can try to restore the trees!! Maybe summon a forest guardian or two." Kyle roared and clouds appeared in the sky. Then rain began to pour.

Amanda moaned, "I have more reasons now to hate the rain." However, she had an idea. With a cry, she opened her wings and flew up into the sky. A rainbow appeared from behind her. _Maybe I can clean the air. I am the Guardian of the Sky, after all._ She thought, flapping the smog from the air.

Forty-five minutes later and the skies were clear. "**This is wonderful. Now trees might just grow here. This valley is saved.**" Spirit was pleased.

"Now where is the shrine?" Karen asked.

Spirit pointed with a paw. "**This way.**" She led the way forward. Then, in a clearing, the shrine stood. On the top of the shrine was an Absol with ruby eyes. A strange orb was around its neck. "**This is the Shrine of Koneko. Inside of the base lies a sacred item.**"

"How do we get the item without shattering the shrine?" Amanda asked.

"**Easy. Just push slightly and a compartment should pop out.**"

Mark walked to the shrine and leaned on it. Then he jerked slightly. "What the?" He looked at the compartment that had popped out when he leaned against it.

Spirit stuck her head inside and pulled out the item with her teeth. "The first piece!" Heather cheered.

"But will the other three be as easy to get as this one?" Kyle wondered.

Spirit laid the piece down gently. "**We're only getting started. The other shrines are much harder to locate than this one. And the compartments might be harder to open than this one. I do fear that we're going to need the blessings of Arceus in order to be successful at this.**"


	5. Chapter 5

Amanda took the first shard and tucked it under several feathers. "So, we have the first piece. Now what? Do we go off into the night to gather the others?" She asked.

Spirit shook her white head. "**No. It is not safe. I suggest that we get some sleep. We will be up for the long journey in the morning.**"

"Here? In the land of grim? I think not." Kyle growled. This was not a pleasing idea to him. In fact, he was willing to fight in order to keep this from happening.

"**Easy. Not here. I know a place up close to the mountains. Two shrines are there, one in a cave and the other high in the mountains. It is said that Klara died on these mountains trying to hide the machine that was used to transform us. Sadly, someone found it and used it on you. And I have a feeling that if they realize what great power they hold, they might attack the world…turning all humans into Pokemon. That cannot happen. This world is already in enough trouble as it is.**" Spirit said softly.

"That's not good." Mark muttered, glancing at Spirit.

"**Right. Now let's go. We're gonna need to start early in the morning if we plan on finishing this before any more people get hurt.**" Spirit trotted off.

Karen and Amanda nodded to each other and flew up into the sky. It would be much easier for them to track from the air rather than being stuck on the ground. Heather, Kyle, and Mark began to race after Spirit, who looked more like a white blur than a white Mightyena.

The land group raced past trees. Dirt and grass flew up into the air as paws struck the ground, creating prints in the ground. The aerial group swooped and dived, keeping a sharp eye on Spirit. They didn't want to get separated or else they might remain in their Pokemon forms forever.

"Hold on…..I'm getting tired!!" Kyle panted. Even though his Raikou form was fast, he could still get tired. Once Spirit slowed to a stop, he fell over. "I can't….keep…up…" He whined.

"What is it, Kyle? Are you too weak to keep up?" Heather taunted.

Spirit shook her head and sighed, annoyed. This argument was taking up precious time. Time that they didn't have. "**Come on. Hurry up. You can argue later.**" She called.

Karen called down from above, "Spirit is right. We don't have time for this nonsense."

However, Kyle and Heather were too interested in yelling at each other. "Moron!! You never listen to what I have to say!" Kyle yelled. Sparks flew from his back.

"You lunatic! Don't catch the forest on fire!!" Heather yelled. Bubbles and spurts of water came from her.

"**Shut up. Both of you.**" Spirit scolded, standing in between the two siblings. "**I want you underlings to listen to me. You understand?! We do NOT have time for your mindless bickering. We MUST get to the shrines, but first we must rest. I plan on getting an early start and I do not want you to be exhausted in case we have to fight someone. Do you understand me?!**"

"…yes…." Heather lowered her head.

"….yeah…" Kyle mumbled.

"**I can't hear you!**" Spirit roared.

"OKAY!" Both Heather and Kyle yelled.

While this was happening, Mark had decided to check the area out. He was curious. As a human, he never would have wandered away from his cousins, but he wasn't a human now. He was an Entei and now had enough courage to wander off. However, he had not intended to stumble upon a nest of Charmanders. "Awww…aren't you cute?" He cooed, bending down low to sniff the youngsters.

"AHHH!!" The youngsters wailed out.

"I'm not gonna hurt you." Mark promised.

"MOMMY!!" They screamed. One Charmander attempted to scratch Mark.

"Now I told you that I wasn't going to hurt you." Mark said. He was starting to sound annoyed. He batted one with a paw, making the Charmander scream again. Then there was a sound. Wingbeats. Mark turned his head slightly. "What's that?"

Suddenly, a massive female Charizard came into view. "Get away from my children!" She roared, landing.

"But I wasn't hurting them." Mark protested.

The Charizard bellowed, "Get away!!" She swung her massive tail at Mark's head. He dodged the blow.

"Seriously! I wasn't going to hurt your babies!" He cried.

Meanwhile, Kyle, Heather, and Spirit raged. "I'm not going to help him! He's a jerk!!" Heather roared. She used Bubblebeam to hit Kyle.

The blast knocked him sideways. "Curse you!" Kyle yelled, trying to bite his sister.

Spirit tackled Kyle and sent him flying. "**Stop it!**" She yelled.

Amanda and Karen watched the mini-battle. "This is stupid." Amanda muttered. After about five minutes of hovering, the duo grew tired and had to land.

"You're right. This is ridiculous." Karen agreed. Then, after scanning the area, she muttered, "Mark's gone."

"MARK'S GONE?!" That caught the attention of Kyle and Heather. They looked up from their battle.

"Yeah. Gone." Karen nodded.

Spirit stood up and calmly said, "**We need to find him.**"

"NO DUH!" Heather cried. She took off after her cousin's scent. Kyle ran after her.

Spirit trotted after them. "**Well at least they stopped fighting.**" She muttered to Amanda and Karen.

"Now what? Do we go after them?" Amanda asked.

"**Nah. Let them come to us.**" Spirit replied, flicking an ear. She could hear what was happening, though.


	6. Chapter 6

Mark dodged the Charizard several times before being slammed into. "Ahh!" He cried, using his claws to keep himself upright. He wished right then that he hadn't run off from his cousins. "Please. Stop!" He pleaded.

"NEVER!" The female Charizard roared. She stood in between Mark and her young. "Keep away!" She stood her ground.

Mark lowered his upper body, trying to look submissive. "Please." He shut his eyes. Then he heard the Charizard scream in pain. A lighting bolt shot out of the sky and shocked the Charizard. "What the?" He turned, trying to see who it was that saved him.

Kyle raced out of the brush. "There you are. What were you thinking?!" He cried, swatting Mark over the head with a paw.

Heather leaped over several bushes. "Mark. Are you okay?" She asked. Then, in a much more angry voice, yelled, "You idiot! How dare you run off like that! You could have been killed!"

"I know." Mark muttered. He noticed the Charizard standing up. "We've got to get out of here!" He cried.

The trio bolted back to the others. "Karen. Amanda. Spirit. You wanted for us." Heather sounded stunned. She had figured that they would have left without them, considering how much trouble they had caused.

"**Of course. I need all of you. If any of you die, then I fear that we won't make our journey safely.**" Spirit said.

Karen sighed, "That's a lovely thought."

Amanda nodded, "I agree."

"**I know it sounds harsh, but it is the truth. This won't be easy.**" Spirit said softly, wiggling her tail calmly.

Mark sat down, panting hard. The Charizard had done damage to him. Heather noticed her cousin bleeding. "Spirit? Can you heal him or something?" She asked.

Spirit walked to Mark and sniffed the blood. "**I fear not. I am not a healer. This is beyond my abilities.**" She sounded regretful.

"So now what? We sit here while my cousin bleeds to death?" Kyle asked.

"**No. We must continue.**"

"What? What about resting? Sleeping?" Mark yelped.

"**Tough. While you three were off doing your own thing, night passed. It is nearly dawn.**"

"WHAT?!"

Karen and Amanda looked at the three beasts. "Yeah. You guys took up too much time goofing off. Now we need to move on." Amanda said. Karen nodded her agreement.

"Wonderful." Kyle moaned.

"If you want, you can attempt sleeping while walking." Karen said, then she took her short snout and raked at several silver feathers. "Darn. I have to groom myself." She muttered.

"Can be, preening is, pain." A strange voice echoed from above.

Spirit moaned, "**Oh no. Not him.**"

A Honchkrow flew down and landed nearby. "Again, nice to see, Spirit. A time long, has it been." The bird said.

"What's that thing saying?" Kyle asked.

"**I'm surprised you haven't died yet. I mean, you were around when I was a human. That's been a while.**" Spirit wasn't happy to see the Honchkrow.

"Friend of Kuro, I am. Long life, granted was I."

Karen looked at the Honchkrow. "That thing has been around since the first transformation?"

"Thing, I am not. Individual, am I." Honchkrow scolded. Then, looking at Spirit, said, "Machine, you looking for are. Gone. Scum to mountains came. Attempted to guard, I did. Failed. Forgive."

"**You guarded the machine? For all these years?"**

"Yes." Honchrow answered.

"**Who took it? What did they look like?**"

"Good look didn't get." Honchkrow sounded sad. "But managed, did I, seeing uniforms." Amanda leaned forward slightly. The Honchkrow looked at her. "Human, you are. In Ho-oh form. Great-great-great grandmother Absol was she."

"You know my great-great-great grandmother?" Amanda blinked.

"Assisted her, I did." Honchkrow explained.

"**Can you tell us where they took the machine?"** Spirit sounded annoyed.

"City." Honchkrow opened his wings. "Fear, do I, that humans….use for evil the machine." With that, he flew out of sight.

Spirit cursed silently. "**We must hurry. Get the last three shards before time runs out. If they are planning on turning everyone into Pokemon, then we must find the enemy group and defeat them. Kill them if we must. What ever the cost, we have to get that machine back! Are you all with me on this?"**

Amanda, knowing that this mission might spell her doom, stepped forward on her blue talons. She raised her rainbow colored head high and opened her wings. "I will join you in the name and honor of my family. Plus my grandfather would be thrilled to hear about this story. Spirit. Count me in!"

Heather rose up on her hind legs and bellowed in her Suicune voice. "I'm in." She said.

Kyle began to spark with excitement. "If my sis is involved, then I can't let her go in alone. I'm in too."

Mark shuddered, "I don't want my cousins to get hurt. I…I have to join you as well."

Then all eyes turned to Karen. She was the only member that was a complete mystery. No one had heard of her before the incident on the beach. She looked at them, then raised her neck up and stared at the morning sun. It shimmered on her shiny silver feathers. "You don't have to ask twice. I will join in." Then, looking at directly at Spirit, added telepathically, _**Climb to the shrine to right what is wrong and the world will be healed by the guardian's song.**_

Spirit gasped. She had heard that phrase before. Her mother, Melody, had once said it a long time again to a hero who restored the world back to peace when the legendary birds had grew angry with each other. Even though it seemed that Karen was saying random things, Spirit would eventually learn that those words would prove to be useful later on. Those words echoed in her mind.

_**Climb to the shrine to right what is wrong and the world will be healed by the guardian's song… **_


	7. Chapter 7

It was mid-afternoon. Spirit had pushed the group all morning long—and that was without any rest. They had spent the night before trying to rescue Mark from the Charizard, plus the horrible news from Honchkrow. However, Spirit's persistence had paid off. They were almost to the cave where the second shrine laid.

"**Come on! We're almost there!**" Spirit urged. Her white tail whipped impatiently.

Kyle panted, "Hold on. We….too…tired…" He was about ready to drop.

Karen and Amanda glided higher. They were having no problems in keeping up with Spirit. "Come on, Kyle! Are you a man or a Rattata?" Amanda called down.

"Neither. I'm a Raikou…" He moaned, but he continued on. Amanda's mocking him worked nicely since he complained less.

Heather bolted up the mountain nimbly. "This isn't too bad." She said, bouncing over rocks and Geodude. Mark followed closely behind. "Let's keep up, Mark! We don't want to fall behind!"

"Right!" Mark agreed, chasing after his cousin. Kyle grumbled and walked on.

Suddenly, it appeared. The entrance to the sacred cave. "**At last, we've made it. Well done.**" Spirit said to the others. Then she began to walk inside.

"Hold on!!" Kyle had a burst of energy. He shot up and leaped next to the edge of the cave. "I'm coming!!"

Heather stared, "I guess you weren't that tired after all."

"I just don't want to be left behind!" He yelled.

"**Silence. We must remain quiet.**" Spirit scolded, glancing at Kyle.

Karen landed next to Spirit. "Why?" She asked.

Spirit looked at Karen. There was an aura of energy coming from the Lugia ever since she had said those strange words. Spirit still had no idea what that phrase meant or what it had to do with her. "**We're going to pay our respects. That's why we must stay quiet. In respect for the dead.**"

"Ah."

Spirit nodded and began to walk inside. Her claws clicked on the rocks, making the walls echo. She sniffed the ground, searching for the shrine. "**Follow me.**" She said, then took off after the shrine.

"Wait up!" Mark yelped, charging forward. The rocks began to rumble with each footfall. Then the roof began to fall.

"RUN!" Heather cried, running toward an area that was stable. Small rocks pelted her blue coat and nicked her, causing blood to rise. Kyle raced next to her. Although both were tired, they had to run or else die from the massive weight of the rocks. Amanda and Karen had some difficulty, being that they were so large. However, the cave was big enough so they could at least spread their wings and fly. Rocks hit them as well.

Finally, after the cave in was finished, the five of them had to face Spirit. "**What did you do?! I told you to be quiet! Now look at what happened. Boy, you guys are stupid.**" Spirit was clearly angry.

"It's dark!!" Mark yelped.

"**Duh. The light has been blocked out. Thanks to your little cave in.**"

"Spirit, is there anyway to escape?" Karen asked.

"**No. The only other way besides the actual exit is to blow the rocks out of the way. And that would require massive firepower.**" Spirit flicked an ear. Being that she was a dark Pokemon, her night vision was good. However, even to her eyes, it was pitch black.

Kyle tried to walk forward, but walked into someone. "Hey, watch it!" Amanda yelled.

"**I fear that this might be the end of us. We can't see well enough to gather the shard, let alone blow a hole in these rocks.**" Spirit knew that if a psychic Pokemon could sense the opening and use a powerful attack, then they would escape. However, she wanted the others to figure things out on their own.

Karen caught on quickly. "I get it. I can use one of my attacks to destroy these rocks. Then we could see well enough to grab the shard and escape before there's another cave in." She seemed excited.

"That's genius! Let's get out of the way!" Amanda tried to make herself as small as possible. That was difficult since she was rather large. She felt Mark, Kyle, and Heather pressed up against her, trying to avoid being vaporized by Karen. Even Spirit hunkered down.

"Okay. Here I go." Karen announced. She used her psychic senses to find the opening and see if the others were in danger. When she was sure that they weren't, she opened her mouth. A ball of light formed, making the room light up. Then, with a screech, she fired the blast. The multiple beam shot blew the rocks and random rock Pokemon out of the way. The blast also made the opening a bit wider and destroyed the trees that surrounded the cave.

Spirit was impressed. That attack was Aeroblast, an attack that was unique to Lugia. However, what impressed her was not the attack that Karen chose; it was how she handled the powerful attack. She behaved exactly like a wild Lugia would. A true Lugia. "**Nice job, Karen. Now we can see.**"

"Man, I do not want to take you on." Kyle muttered. He was jealous that a girl could do that much damage.

Heather grinned, and then noticed a Diglett watching them. "Hey." She said to the mole Pokemon.

"Are you here to pay respects to the shrine?" It asked.

Spirit walked toward the Diglett. "**Yes,**" she said. Then, to the others, added, "**This is a test. Have no fear. I instructed the Diglett in this cave to test the hearts of those who enter. Those who succeed can pass. Those who fail get booted out.**"

"Will this test be difficult?" Amanda asked. Her wide green eyes looked worried.

"**If you are pure of heart, then you will be fine.**" Spirit answered.

Heather turned to Kyle and muttered, "You're doomed."

"Gee…" He mumbled, smacking his sister with his tail. She stomped on his foot and the argument was over.

The Diglett looked around. "There will be several tests up ahead. Pass them, and you will be free to explore. Fail them…" It let the threat hang. Then the Diglett dipped back underground.

Karen turned to face Spirit. "Do all the shrines have tests?"

"**No. The Shrine of Koneko didn't have one. However, not all the tests are as obvious as this one. The Shrine of Klara has a life or death test. That one I highly recommend you pass.**" Spirit said.

Kyle looked at a rock and kicked it. "What's the odds we'll survive?"

"**Decent.**"

"Oh."

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble. Amanda flapped her wings slightly. "What's happening?" She asked.

"**The test. Prepare yourselves.**" Spirit seemed relaxed as the ground opened up. "**The first part of the test pits you against yourselves. However, it is you as you are right now. If you improve during the battle and grow stronger, then your shadow self will become weaker. Good luck.**"

"WHAT?! What about you?" Mark yelped.

"**I am a shadow of my former human self. I do not have to fight this battle.**" She answered calmly.

Then several strange Pokemon appeared. Their eyes glowed red and their bodies were black. "Those are dark versions of us." Heather gasped, backing up a few feet. The Dark Suicune leaped in front of her and roared. "Why can't we understand them?!"

"**Because they speak in a dark language. Unless you understand the language of the shadows, then you are out of luck when trying to listen to them.**" Spirit said.

Mark and Dark Entei began to engage in battle. They slammed into each other, trying to bite each other. "Oh come on! Let me win!!" Mark cried.

Kyle and Dark Raikou sparked and lighting shot out. The two bolts, one of pure energy and the other of dark energy, collided and exploded. "I can't beat him!" He yelled.

"**True.**" Spirit said softly. She watched the battle with mild amusement.

Amanda and Dark Ho-oh tried to use Gust to blow each other to the ground, but it failed. The two wind attacks hit and canceled each other out. "No way!"

Karen and Dark Lugia hissed and eyed each other, trying to find any weaknesses. Suddenly, the Dark Lugia whipped her long snake-like neck forward, trying to knock Karen down. Karen, in a quick movement, brought her tail forward and slammed it into the Dark Lugia's head, making her lose her balance. "Now you're mine!"

_**They are doing fairly well. Better than I had predicted, at least. Maybe they aren't a lost cause after all. Perhaps I shouldn't give up on them yet. They are the children of my friends, anyway.**_Spirit sniffed the air and looked at each of the combatants.

Suddenly, a cry from Kyle had rattled the rocks slightly, dislodging a few. He had been bit by the Dark Raikou and driven into the ground. Blood was coming out of a long gash on the side of his body. Karen, without turning around to face the Dark Raikou, slammed her long tail into the Dark Raikou, sending him flying. Then the Dark Raikou vanished in a puff of black smoke.

"That's how you kill 'em! Attack everyone else's dark side!" Amanda screeched. She had seen what Karen had done to Kyle's evil half.

"Right!" Heather staggered to her feet and used Bubblebeam on Dark Entei. The fire Pokemon roared when the water attack hit him. However, he didn't vaporize yet. "Shoot! Let me try again!" She tried to use Bubblebeam again, but Dark Suicune rammed her into a wall, dislodging a few more rocks. One rock crashed on top of Dark Ho-oh's head, making her scream in pain.

Karen roared, "Get behind me! All of you!" Everyone who could walk got behind her and she opened her wings, shielding them from harm. "Suffer!!" She bellowed, preparing to use Aeroblast to destroy them all in one hit. However…"YAHH!" Karen screamed. Dark Lugia had bitten her on the neck. _Wait a second. Bite isn't on a Lugia's attack list! Something's wrong!_ Karen thought, gasping.

The Dark Lugia seemed to grin as it used dark energy to blast Karen away from the others. "AHHH!!" Mark screamed as the dark Pokemon followed behind the Dark Lugia. "We're gonna die!!"

Right then, Karen raised her neck up and fired a massive attack, blowing away the dark Pokemon in one hit. "Gotcha." She said weakly, then collapsed.

"Karen!!" Kyle ran to her, trying to nudge her awake. It seemed odd. A smallish Pokemon trying to awaken a giant.

"**Well done. You have passed the first wave of the test. Good job.**" Spirit nodded her head slowly with pleasure.

"That was just the first wave? There's more?" Heather asked.

"Noooooo!!" Mark howled.


	8. Chapter 8

The cave began to rattle and rocks slammed down on the ground. Spirit sighed, "**The second wave is beginning**." Even Spirit herself had never been through a test like this before. She wasn't worried though.

"What's happening?" Mark wailed.

Out of nowhere, a large Jolteon appeared. "Who's that?" Heather wondered.

"**That…is based off of one of the individuals that had been transformed a long time ago. Watch out for his Thunderbolt.**" Spirit said.

The Jolteon stormed forward, growling. Then a blast of lighting shot off of him, nearly hitting Karen. She hissed at him and swung her tail hard, trying to hit him. The tail connected, but as it did, the Jolteon released electricity and shocked Karen. "Ahhh!!" She wailed. Then, turning to face the others, yelled, "Will you guys stop gawking and help me?!"

"Right!" Kyle was the first to go to her assistance. He knew that his electric attacks would be more than useless here. However, he could still bite. "DIE!" He roared, rushing the Jolteon. The Jolteon turned and bellowed when Kyle's fangs dug into his flesh.

"That's the stuff! Attack!!" Amanda screeched, taking wing. Once she was sure that the others would not get hit, she summoned the strength to use Sacred Fire. The damage was outstanding on the Jolteon. He staggered and began to fall.

Karen leaped to her feet and swung her tail forward. The blow connected under the Jolteon's chin and sent it flying into the cave wall. He wailed as he disappeared. "We….we…did it!" Karen panted.

"**Well done. That was an intense….mini-battle.**" Spirit sounded amused.

Karen turned her snake-like neck slightly. "What? What do you mean by 'mini-battle'?" She didn't sound impressed. In fact, she sounded annoyed.

Spirit laughed, "**Don't tell me that you thought it was over. You did, didn't you? You thought that this whole thing was done? HAH! You have one more wave yet to battle. It will be your most challenging.**"

"Oh goodie." Kyle remarked.

"**However, I suggest that we continue to walk. The final wave will hit without warning. Not even I know when you will be attacked.**" Spirit began to trot away, leaving the others behind.

Kyle began to yell, "What are you doing?! We're tired, remember? We just got done waging war on two waves. We need a rest." With that, he proudly sat down.

"**Fine. Rest. I'm going on.**" Spirit said without turning around.

Karen stood up and folded her wings back. Then she began to follow Spirit. "Kyle. We can rest once we're back to human. Not now." She told him.

"Now you're on her side?" He moaned.

She laughed, "No. I just think we need to keep walking."

With a moan, Kyle stood up. "Fine. If I die from exhaustion, you have to carry me. Okay?"

Heather nudged her brother. "Dork. You're not going to die. Let's go." She followed after Karen. Mark followed close.

"Amanda? You're with me on this, right?" Kyle turned to Amanda. "Amanda?" He turned back around and saw her flying after the others. "Oh great…." He mumbled, unwillingly getting to his feet and wobbling forward.

The group continued down the cave and into a large dome shaped room. They all stared in awe. Even though the sunlight barely reached this section, it was fairly bright. The light was bouncing off of several large crystals that stuck out of the ground. In the middle of the cavern was a lake and in the middle of the lake was an island. In the middle of the island was a shrine. A Lucario with large ruby eyes stood tall on the shrine. Several Zubat flew around the shrine.

"I assume that that's the shrine we're looking for?" Kyle panted.

"**Right. We need to get down to it before the third wave begins**." Spirit nodded.

Karen looked up at the ceiling of the cavern. "There's lots of things up there that could easily break wings. Amanda, I suggest we be very careful if we decide to fly." She muttered.

"I agree." Amanda nodded.

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble. "**Great. Let's get down there now!**" Spirit began to trot forward, and then broke out into a full run. "**Let's go! Let's go!**" She roared, leaping over several large pieces of diamond.

Karen didn't hesitate. She opened her wings and flew after Spirit. Then, using her psychic senses, realized that something large was coming their way. "Oh boy. Guys? Get ready!" She called down to the others.

"What the?" The ground began to rumble, and then it roared. "What's that?!" Mark screamed. The rock broke open, revealing a huge Steelix. "AHHHH!!"

Then, out of nowhere, Karen dived down, slamming into the Steelix. "He's the last wave! I'll distract him! GO!" She cried, dodging the tail of the Steelix. The blow would have killed her if it had connected. "That was TOO close!"

Kyle led the ground in an all-out charge. "Come on! Karen's risking her neck for us! We have to hurry!" He yelled, lowering his body so he could gain speed. Heather and Mark ran alongside of him. Amanda took wing.

"I'll assist you, Karen!" Amanda yelled, diving at the Steelix.

Karen turned. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! I told you to RUN!" Now distracted, the Steelix saw his opportunity. He rammed into her, sending her tumbling into the lake.

"KAREN!" Kyle saw what happened. No longer caring about himself, he lowered his body and lunged. He realized that he couldn't do anything about the Steelix, but he had to try. At least help until Karen recovered.

"**What are you doing, fool?! Get back here!**" Spirit roared.

"No! I have to help Karen!!" Kyle yelled, launching a massive Thunderbolt attack at the Steelix. The blow barely did any damage. "No way!"

The Steelix bellowed and raked up several large boulders with his tail. Then, one by one, he slammed his tail into them. "Kyle! Watch out!" Heather cried as the massive boulders flew at her brother.

Kyle gasped. He couldn't escape from being crushed. He could dodge one, but he would end up being smashed by several others. _I'm so doomed,_ Kyle thought, growling.

Suddenly, a massive water spout shot up from the lake and Karen appeared. She was clearly unhappy. "You will pay!" She screeched to the Steelix. The massive Pokemon sent a rock in her direction—however Karen created a barrier and the boulder fell to the ground in several pieces. "That was pathetic." She said, looking angry.

Kyle watched Karen in all her fury. To him, she looked beautiful. Beautiful, yet deadly. "…Karen…" He whispered.

Spirit watched Karen. "**I would suggest that we move away from Karen. Now.**" She backed away slowly. The others followed.

"How dare you attack my friends?!" Karen roared. Then, with glowing eyes, she unleashed her Hydro Pump attack, sending the Steelix sailing back into the hole from where it came from. The water also raised the lake's water level too.

"Way to go, Karen!" Heather cheered.

Karen snapped her head toward Heather and nodded, "Thanks. But I don't feel right. Kinda dizzy. Maybe I should head back to the water…." With that, she fainted.

"KAREN!" Kyle yelped, running to her. "Come on! You have to get up!" He nudged her.

"**And so it has begun…**" Spirit muttered, shaking her head sadly.

Amanda heard Spirit. "What has begun?"

The white Mightyena turned her head. "**Karen is picking up the machine's frequency with her keen psychic powers. Whoever has it must be using it.**"

"When will Karen wake up?" Mark asked.

"**Soon. First we need to get the shard. That would be enough to wake her up.**" Spirit said, turning toward the shrine calmly. Taking a deep breath, she roared out. The shrine began to rumble and a small slot popped open. "**There. The second shard. And we better hurry. We don't have much time left. I'm sure of that.**"

"Then let's go already!!"


	9. Chapter 9

And so, the band of humans-turned-Pokemon fled the cave. They managed to escape before it collapsed in. "That was way too close!" Kyle panted. It was obvious that he was exhausted. Then he noticed that Karen was beginning to come to. "You're awake!"

"Yeah. Barely." The Lugia muttered.

Amanda turned to Spirit and asked, "I have to know. Does this quest get any more dangerous? Or is this just the beginning?"

"**I fear that…..**" Spirit hesitated.

"What? What is it?" Heather asked.

The white Mightyena closed her eyes. "**The machine is….active. I can sense it. Your town. We must get to your town immediately. Something dreadful is happening.**"

Mark, Heather, and Kyle yelped, "WHAT?!" The trio turned and began to race back to their town. Their bodies were streamline and capable of covering great distance. After all, they _were_ some of the fastest Pokemon in existence. Heather spotted a lake in front of them. Kyle and Mark leaped over it while Heather ran on top of it.

Amanda and Karen watched the three blurs. "What's the rush?!" Karen cried. She was still stunned from her epic battle. It might take some time before she fully recovered her senses.

Amanda ignored Karen and flew up in the air. She wasn't as fast as her land-bound friends. She was worried. _Mom. Grandpa. Please be safe._ She shivered slightly.

"AMANDA! WAIT!" Karen yelled. With a grunt, she was up in the air. "Man. I am SO looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. I'm so tired." She grumbled and flew after Amanda.

Spirit sighed, "**They are already too late. The town is…**" She howled in her Mightyena voice and shot off after the horrified children. Children. That's how Spirit saw them. They were, after all, much younger than her. If she had been human, she would have had her own children and met the same fate as Taylor, Klara, and Koneko. Somehow that wasn't a pleasant thought.

Meanwhile, Heather, Mark, and Kyle had reached the town before any of the others. However, now they wished they hadn't been so fast. Now the trio was frozen from sheer shock and horror. "W-what happened here?!" Mark cried.

All around the trio were the sounds of Pokemon. Pokemon were everywhere. Pokemon that was alive in the world and long extinct. They were everywhere!! "HELP ME!!!" A Fearow screamed in agony.

"Oh no! No! No! What has happened to me?!" A Pokemon that had died out a long time ago wailed. Kyle glanced at the extinct Pokemon. It reminded him of a certain species that was called……what was it again? Ah yes, a Pikachu.

Heather shuddered and turned to her brother and cousin. "So these…whacko's…turned that machine on our own town? But….our parents….MOM! DAD!!" She reared up on her hind legs and screamed. "MOM! DAD!"

Kyle soon joined her wail with a wail of his own. "WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Their cries were picked up by Amanda and Karen, who was riding a thermal. "Bingo. But what on earth happened here?" Karen wondered, swishing her long white tail.

"THAT MONSTER!" Amanda cried and adjusted her wings to land. As soon as she landed, she was searching for her family. "Mom! Grandpa! Where are you?" She shouted. Her feathers stuck up in fear.

"Amanda….." A weak male voice moaned.

"Grandpa!" She tried to find him in the masses of Pokemon. "Where are you?"

"Here…." The response sounded weaker. Amanda noticed a vine shoot out limply from a half destroyed house. Her house!

"Grandpa!" She fluttered to the house and began to push the fallen lumber aside. She had to be careful. She had no idea what her grandpa was. He might be as large as a Rhyhorn or as tiny as a Diglett. At last, Amanda nudged the final piece of wood away. She gasped. Lying under the lumber was her grandfather, but he had lost all human features. Her grandfather was now a Celebi.

"Amanda…..help me……." He whispered weakly. Amanda knew that Celebi was supposed to be a vibrant green color. But her grandfather looked dried up, like dead leaves.

"What is wrong? Please. Tell me." Amanda knew that there wasn't much she could do for a grass type Pokemon. But she had to try.

The Celebi that was her grandpa coughed. "….the pollution….is….killing me….." His breathing became labored.

"NO! Gramps you can't die!" Amanda cried.

The Celebi smiled weakly. "Survive, my dear granddaughter. You must survive. Amanda….live…..strong……fight…..for freedom. You are….the hope of us all…." With that, Amanda's grandfather breathed his last.

"NO! Grandpa! NO!" Amanda wailed as the Celebi became dust. A blast of wind caused the body to blow away. Amanda glared skyward. Karen was circling overhead. It seemed random, but Amanda felt hatred toward Karen right then. She didn't have a family in this town. She had nothing to lose. "KAREN!!!! YOU WILL PAY!"

"Huh?" Karen looked down just in time to see Amanda slam into her. "WAH! What are you doing?!"

Amanda flared sharply and turned to face Karen. "You!!! You!!!!"

"Yeah? Me? What about me?"

"My grandfather is dead!!!"

"And what do have to do with that?"

Amanda didn't answer. She opened her mouth and used her Sacred Fire attack. She was going to take out her anger on someone. Karen seemed to be a good opponent, plus she was the closest person. Karen saw the fire and back flipped away. Amanda saw the Karen looked slightly nervous. That just added more fuel to Amanda's fire. She launched another flaming blast.

"**Amanda! Stop it!**" Spirit leaped from the roof of a random house and tackled the Ho-oh. The attack was surprisingly strong since Amanda tumbled out of the air. Then the scolding began. "**What are you doing?! Have you lost your mind?! You do NOT attack your friends! You don't**."

"Do I care?!" Amanda yelled.

Spirit ignored her and said, "**If you think you are strong enough to do this alone, fine. I'll just go back toward the mountains. You can just settle into your lives as Pokemon.**"

Karen landed near Spirit. "Can you please do something about Miss Temper over there?" She glared coldly at Amanda.

The white Mightyena sighed, "**You are hopeless. Very well. Until I decide that you five can learn to behave, you will live as Pokemon. You will learn to eat as Pokemon, sleep as Pokemon, and fight like Pokemon. When you have proven to me that you can handle your differences as mature people, then I will help you finish your task. Until then, farewell.**" Spirit turned and leaped into the air. It looked almost like she landed on a cloud. Then she vanished.

"Way to do, dork." Amanda growled to Karen.

"That does it. If you want to do this mission with Heather, Kyle, and Mark, that's fine. Count me out! If Spirit wants us to learn how to leave as Pokemon, then I intend to. Good-bye. If you need me, I'll be in the sea." Karen opened her wings and flew toward the beach.

Amanda hissed, then noticed Heather, Kyle, and Mark return with a Blastoise, Persian, and a long extinct Jigglypuff. "What happened?" Kyle asked.

"We're on our own. We are to live as Pokemon until Spirit decides we are…mature enough to handle our differences." Amanda said simply.

"WHAT?!" The trio yelped.


	10. Chapter 10

Karen ignored the random screams from former humans. She was flying far above their heads. Even if she looked down, all she could see was random blobs of color that were the transformed humans. _I know what I'm doing is foolish. I should just put aside my differences with Amanda and just deal with it. But I can't. This is no longer just our problem. This is now the problems of everyone in this town. Perhaps even a global issue. I hope this is just a local thing._ She thought, flying higher. The sea came into view. Wingull flew around the beach, looking for food. _They are lesser than I. I can fight them if they try to become any trouble._

One Wingull saw the massive female Lugia begin to dive toward the sea. "Oooooo!! A great one!" They began to chant. While Karen made her descent, the Wingull began to follow her. They more or less revered the Lugia as a guardian of the seas.

Karen sighed heavily and continued to dive. Once in range, the long flaps on her back closed, making her body streamline. _Get ready._ She told herself, straightening herself out for a direct hit with the water. With a loud splash, Karen's body slammed into the water. The impact of the water was a shock to her face since it was so cold. _Whew! This is very chilly water! I'd hate to be a human right now!_

Several Magikarp swam by, ignoring the massive sea beast. Karen watched them with great fascination. _So this is the sea. _She began to use her wings as paddles and her tail as a rudder. Slowly, Karen propelled herself forward.

Meanwhile, back on soar, chaos ruled. Amanda perched on a house, watching the humans that were turned to Pokemon panic. _I wonder when this will stop._ She sighed heavily and turned to face a Pidgeot that had perched next to her. "Do I know you?" She asked rudely.

The Pidgeot glanced at her and replied, "I went to your school."

"Ah."

"Hey. Uh. Do you know what happened? Why are we like this?"

Amanda closed her eyes. "I'm not sure." The Pidgeot sighed and flew off. Amanda watched the bird fly off, then she went back to her observations. Heather, Kyle, and Mark raced around town. Amanda assumed that they were racing. _This is no time for games. Maybe I should apologize to Karen? Then Spirit would return and we could continue our quest. _

Suddenly, something slammed into the house where Amanda was perched. It almost knocked her to the ground. She peeped over the edge of the house and saw a Tyranitar that had fallen into the house. A Rhydon stood in front of the dark Pokemon. "You won't escape me!!" The Rhydon bellowed. The Tyranitar snarled and lunged at the rock Pokemon.

"What the?" Amanda wondered, watching the battle. The Tyranitar shoved the Rhydon. The Rhydon shoved back. "WILL YOU TWO STOP IT?!" Amanda bellowed.

"Huh?" Both the Rhydon and Tyranitar looked up.

"Quit fighting! Stop it! Stop it!" Amanda opened her wings, flinging embers all over the house. The house caught on fire. "Oops…"

"Oh wonderful. Way to go, genius!" The Rhydon bellowed, kicking sand on the fire. The flames went out. "Will you be more careful?" He scolded Amanda.

Amanda growled and flew into the sky. She headed toward the sea. Her mission was to see if Karen was anywhere near the beach. Maybe she could apologize? "I want to restore things to normal," she said to herself.

Once she reached the beach, several Wingull spotted her. "A Ho-oh! The guardian of the sky!!" They screeched.

"Did you see a Lugia?" Amanda asked. However, the Wingull were too busy chattering to hear her. "Ahem! DID ANY OF YOU SEE A LUGIA?!" Amanda yelled.

The Wingull scattered slightly in fear. Then they answered, "Yes. A female. She went into the sea."

"I'm too late!" Amanda gasped.

Meanwhile, Karen dived deeper. She had seen several Gyarados swim by. Even though they did ignore her, she was still rattled. Suddenly, she could sense something was approaching her. A pod! Karen watched as an entire pod of Lugia swam by her. They ignored her presence. _Maybe they'll accept me?_ She wondered, following them.

The alpha male was an old adult. Judging by his appearance, Karen could tell that he had been someone who had seen lots of battles in his life. A scar was over his left eye. The alpha female was a lanky creature. Her tail had been damaged from a battle against something with a lot of teeth. _Sharpedo?_ Karen wondered. Behind them was a young male. For some strange reason, Karen was attracted to him. His body was sleek and silver. He was the only one that seemed to notice her.

_**Hello.**_ His voice rang out in her mind. He was using telepathy!

_**Hi. Um, may I ask where you are going?**_ Karen asked.

The young male chuckled, _**Deeper. Our hunting ground is close to the bottom of the sea. If you ask my father, he might allow you to join our pod.**_

_**You really think so?**_ Karen asked.

His voice chuckled in her mind. _**More than likely. If not, I'll deal with him.**_

Karen swam closer toward the pod. The old male spotted her and turned to face her. _**Who are you, intruder?**_ He asked.

_**I am not an intruder. I am seeking a pod. I am alone.**_

_**Right. And I'm a Ho-oh. You have to do better than that.**_

_**Please. I beg. I have no family. I am all alone.**_

The old male wasn't buying Karen's excuses. He opened his mouth and a blinding blast of energy hit Karen. She had no time to use a barrier. _**FATHER!**_ The young male left the pod and swam to Klara. He looked at her carefully. Blood seeped from a wound on her neck. If his father had been younger and his aim better, she would have been killed. _**Father. Why did you attack her? She's alone.**_

The old male rumbled deep in his throat. _**You do not understand. If you wish to be by her side, then you must leave our pod. I cannot have anyone threatening this pod.**_

_**But Father! **_The young male looked at the weak Karen. She had passed out. _**There is no way she's a threat to us!**_

_**I cannot risk that. You might be right, my son. However, you might be wrong. You are of age to leave this pod anyway. It is time that you start your own.**_

The young male lowered his head. _**Very well.**_ He watched as his family swam off in the distance. By this time, Karen began to awaken. _**Good. I'm glad to see you're recovered your senses.**_

_**What happened?**_

_**My father attacked you, then…my family left. I chose to stay here. You need someone to protect you. Right?**_

Karen gasped. The young male was…flirting with her?! _**Uh. Yeah. I guess.**_ That's all she could think of to say.

_**Good. Oh, I suppose I should learn your name. May I ask?**_ The male asked politely.

_**Yeah. I'm Karen. And you are?**_

_**Mercury. **_

_**Mercury? Why Mercury?**_ Karen looked puzzled.

_**Quicksilver. I'm fast and I'm silver. Mercury.**_ He explained.

Karen felt stupid. She should have known that. _**Oh. So now what?**_

_**I'm not sure. **_

Karen glanced at Quicksilver. He was handsome. But he was a true Lugia. She was one that had been transformed. A human. That made her feel sick.


	11. Chapter 11

Amanda left the beach in disappointment. She had hoped to find Karen and apologize for being so cruel to her. It wasn't the Lugia's fault that this insanity happened. _And now I can't say anything to her. She probably found a whole bunch of Lugia to hang with._ Amanda though bitterly. She flew back to the town. Or, rather, what was left of the town.

Heather was teaching several water Pokemon how to defend themselves in case of an attack. "Okay. Now watch carefully. I'm going to use Bubblebeam. Watch and learn." She turned to a tree and fired a blast of bubbles from her mouth. The younger Pokemon watched with interest. "See? Easy?" Heather turned back to face the random assortment of water types.

"Yeah! That looked cool!" They yelled and began to fire Water Gun at each other. Heather moaned and looked down at the ground.

Amanda chuckled and landed next to her. "Havin' fun?" She asked.

"No. Not really." Heather replied dryly. "I'm not used to playing teacher to these…newly formed water Pokemon. I would like to be human."

"I agree, but we can't do anything until Spirit returns to us." Amanda raised her brightly colored head to face the sun. "Which I hope will be soon."

Meanwhile, Karen and Mercury swam deeper in the sea. They were trying to find food. _**Follow me.**_ Mercury told Karen and shot ahead of her.

She laughed and called, _**Hey! Wait!**_

Mercury turned and looked amused at Karen. Then, with a moan, he shot toward the surface of the water. Karen followed him. Both of them leaped from the water and opened their wings. "**YAHOO!**" Mercury yelled using his own voice.

"Mercury! This is so fun!!" Karen called. She realized that his voice sounded different from his telepathy voice. Of course it would—he was actually speaking to her.

"**You are so right! This is great!**" He back flipped and looked at her keenly. "**So, Karen, what do you think?**"

She hesitated. What did she think? And what was he asking her? "About?" She asked cautiously.

"**Uh, I guess not then.**"

"Not what? Tell me."

Mercury shot toward her and, right when he looked like he was going to run into her, he stopped. Then, to Karen's complete shock, he began to preen her neck calmly. His snout raked across her neck feathers. "**It's nothing.**" He whispered.

Karen, on the other hand, was almost having a heart-attack. _Is he flirting with me?!_ She could barely catch her breath. "Are you sure?" She could barely get those words out.

"**Of course,**" he said quietly. Then he looked up. "**What's that?**"

Karen's gaze followed his. A large black bird was flying closer toward the duo. "Wait!" The crackling voice rang out. It was that Honchrow from earlier. "Odd, this is. True and false Lugia. Interesting. Interesting most this is. Message I have. From Spirit. Wants me you know about machine. Worried is she. Amanda you should join. Forget mistakes."

"What? Then why doesn't Spirit come down here and tell me herself?" Karen challenged. Mercury remained silent. He was listening.

"With Arceus, Spirit is." Honchrow replied.

Karen looked annoyed, "Ah. Like that answers everything."

"**Spirit? You mean, the white beast?"** Mercury asked.

"Yes." Honchrow said. Then he cried, "Evil machine causes. Beware! Beware!" With that, he flew off.

"**Who was that Amanda he spoke of?**" Mercury asked, looking at Karen.

"She's this girl that was turned into a Ho-oh."

"**Ah. Well then, don't you think we should give her a visit?**"

Karen couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You mean, you're willing to go with me? This might be dangerous."

Mercury laughed, "**I'm not worried. Karen, if what that Honchrow says is true, you need help. I can help you. I…I want to help you.**"

"Mercury…" Karen looked right into his eyes. She couldn't help but feel like she belonged with him. But that was impossible. He was a true Lugia. She was, as Honchrow called her, a false Lugia. They just were too different.

"**You're curious.**" Mercury observed. He winked and looked at the land. "**Karen…I don't care if you were once a human.**" With that, he began to fly toward the shore. Karen followed him.

All of this was observed by Spirit, who was in the heavens with Arceus. "**I just don't understand Karen. I can understand Amanda, Heather, Kyle, and Mark. Karen is a mystery. Now she's with a real Lugia. What else could go wrong?" **Spirit wondered.

Arceus approached her and shook his head. "**Humans. For all my life, I have wondered how humans even have survived all these years in semi-harmony with Pokemon. These creatures destroy their world. They even killed off Mew." **

"**Arceus? Do you have a plan on what should happen to those kids?**"

He looked amused. "**No. However, I have sensed that those children aren't the only problem we need to focus on. Spirit. I sense a terrible even that is about to unfold. Those men that have the machine are planning on turning it on themselves.**"

"**That's good, right? I mean, if they're Pokemon, then they can't do any more harm. Right?**" Spirit was confused.

"**No. They will attempt to make themselves overlords over the entire world. We cannot have that. Spirit, I want you to gather together the force of humans-turned-Pokemon and battle that beast. I will join you. I am certain that once the word spreads, the other legendary Pokemon will join.**" Arceus nodded slowly.

Spirit glanced down and replied, "**Then I will go down now and prepare them for the ultimate battle.**"


	12. Chapter 12

Spirit flew out of the heavens and hit the ground hard. With a roar, she took off as fast as her paws could carry her, which was fairly fast. Her sharp senses told her that the town was still in an uproar. _As well as they should be. Humans should never become Pokemon. That's not natural._ She began to consider her situation. _Well, I suppose then I'm not natural either._

She stopped suddenly, panting hard. Something was not right. Something terrible was about to happen. Spirit could sense it. Something huge was coming. The ground under Spirit's feet began to split open. Acid began to seep from the gash in the earth, which Spirit had to dodge in order to keep her feet out of it. With a thunderous roar, a three headed monster rose from the ground. Spirit could hardly believe her eyes. The beast had one head that looked like it belonged on a Gyarados, which was on the right side. The left head appeared to have been taken from a Charizard. The middle head looked like something from science fiction. Spirit could barely understand what was happening. The middle head looked like it was a machine.

_Of course it looks like a machine. That's because it is a machine! That's the machine that turns humans in to Pokemon! But how did it mutate with that…thing?! _Spirit was frantic. She had less than zero time to get back to the others and warn them about what was about to happen.

The beast saw Spirit and bellowed. Then it began to give chase. While it ran, the monster taunted Spirit. "Run…run….I like to have a good workout before I kill someone." The Gyarados and Charizard head said in unison. The middle head fired a blast of energy in Spirit's direction.

"**Gah!**" Spirit cried, leaping aside. She continued to run as fast as her legs could carry her. In fact, she ran so fast that she began to feel faint. _I can't keep going at this speed._ She turned and saw something black flying in her direction.

"SPIRIT! Coming I am. Save you, I will!" The Honchkrow cried, zipping toward the monster.

"**Honchkrow! No!**" Spirit wanted to turn and watch, but realized that that would be fatal. She had to keep running. No matter what might happen.

Honchkrow landed in front of the beast and flapped his wings. "Cannot pass, you shall," he cried. With a screech, he rose in the air and flew at the monster, striking it with his wings. "That, you take!" He shot past.

The monster bellowed and swung his Charizard head at the Honchkrow. The black bird dodged the head and used Dark Pulse. The beast bellowed, "Arrggh!"

Spirit turned. She was far enough away to watch. Honchkrow shot at the beast, and then was struck by a horrendous Hydro Pump attack from the Gyarados head. Then the massive tail slammed on the Honchkrow's fallen body. Spirit could hear his cry, but there wasn't anything she could do about it.

"**Honchkrow!!**" Spirit began to run toward him, but realized that that was why he was sacrificing himself. He was doing it in order for her to escape. With a cry, she ran toward the town. Once the random Pokemon of the town came into view, she yelled, "**Everybody! Listen to me!**"

"Why should we?" Amanda asked. She had been perched on a tree.

Spirit snorted, "**Because we are in grave danger.**"

That caught everyone's attention. "What?" A random Pokemon asked. Multiple Pokemon blinked in confusion.

Spirit leaped on top of a house and bellowed, "**Listen! I do not care who you are or where you came from. I do not care if you hated each other as humans. We must work together! We must act as one! One people! We are not just individuals who just happened to be transformed into Pokemon. We are one group! One people! We must fight!**"

Heather approached Spirit. "What must we fight against?"

"**A three headed beast. I cannot begin to explain how horrifying it is.**" Spirit explained. She turned her head and asked, "**Where is Karen? We are going to need her too.**"

"She…uh….left." Amanda hesitated in saying.

"**WHAT?!**"

"Yeah. I assume she found a nice pod of Lugia to be with."

Spirit growled and turned back to where the monster was. "**We don't have time to hunt for her. We must prepare for attack. Or at least a really good defense.**"

Meanwhile, Karen and Mercury were flying as quickly as their wings could carry them. They both had sensed what Honchkrow had warned them about. A beast was coming and they had to help defeat it.

"Mercury. What do you think about this whole situation?" Karen asked.

"**I think it stinks.**" He muttered.

She nodded and noticed a white blob standing on a house. "That's Spirit! She has returned to help us!" Karen looked happy.

Mercury looked down at the ground. "**Indeed. However not even the white beast can defeat that thing on her own. Come on, Karen! Let's go!**"


	13. Chapter 13

Spirit had no idea what she was getting into. _Now what? That thing is coming and I have no plan! _ She could almost sense that something or someone was getting closer. "**Now what?** " She wondered, glancing over her shoulder. Her keen eyesight allowed her to see two large beasts approaching. Two Lugia. "**Ah! I can't believe it! Karen is coming!!!** " Spirit was truly glad to see Karen right at that moment.

Amanda turned to see the Lugia couple. "Wonderful. The winged wonder has returned to us. But how does that help us in defeating whatever it is that's coming?"

"**It'll give us an advantage. You see, with more Pokemon, we can defend longer. Sadly, I fear that we might receive some casualties as well.** " Spirit didn't want to say this, but she couldn't lie.

"What? You mean that some of us might die?" Kyle asked. He was sitting near the Ho-oh and white Mightyena.

"**It is…possible. I wish I could say more than that, but the odds are against us.** "

"No worries! We can handle anything, right?" Mark asked. Being so young, Mark was not able to understand the danger in what was about to happen.

Heather, not wanting to scare her cousin, replied, "That's right. With two Lugia on our side, we can defeat anything. Plus we have the blessings of the legendary Pokemon. Isn't that right, Spirit?" Her red eyes locked on Spirit.

She sighed, "**I wish it was that simple. You see, the world of Pokemon is more confusing than what humans say. There are multiple dimensions. I mean, one of the levels is beyond the realm in which you and I live in. There is a caste system between Pokemon.** " Spirit looked to see how everyone was reacting. She saw surprised faces all around. "**What? Did you think that all Pokemon are created equal? No. Arceus is the creator. Then Palkia and Dialga fall in as second highest Pokemon. Mew falls in creator of all other Pokemon, with the exception of Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf. Therefore, the world of Pokemon is a lot more difficult to understand than what a human would say.** "

"And where do you fall into this hierarchy?" Kyle asked.

Spirit looked at the Raikou and wiggled her tail. "**I…don't know.** " She admitted softly.

"Well, that's just peachy! We need to come up with an attack plan pronto! Otherwise we're toast!" Amanda yelled, flapping her wings with impatience. "We can discuss Pokemon later!"

"Amanda is right! We need to act fast if we're going to save our skins!" Heather agreed, standing up. The long streamers flowed and a cool breeze began to blow.

Right then, Karen and the strange Lugia landed. "Sorry we're late," Karen apologized, tucking her wings close to her body.

The strange male Lugia nodded, "**We got the Honchkrow's message. Where is that Honchkrow anyway?** "

Spirit looked stunned. Karen, a human, managed to get a real male Lugia to court her?! That was amazing. "**He…did his duty. Now we must do ours.** "

"You mean, he's dead?" Karen asked. She bent her head down so she could look directly at Spirit.

"**I don't know that. The last I saw of him was when he was distracting that behemoth. Now, Karen and,** " she used her semi-psychic powers to figure out the male Lugia's name. "**Mercury. We must act.** " Spirit stood and glanced over her shoulder. "**Move now.** "

With a cry, the Pokemon began to prepare. The plan to repel the beast and destroy the machine at the same time, which would be extremely difficult and dangerous. Spirit realized that it would take a seasoned fighter to kill the middle head. And, unfortunately, no one around her was qualified. Mercury, although a true Lugia, was too young and inexperienced to shoot an Aeroblast powerful enough to detach the middle head from the body. But maybe if Karen and Mercury combined their attacks? That might just work.

Amanda was given the task to organize the Pokemon ranks. It seemed easier than it actually was. The younger Pokemon was too hyper and could barely contain their excitement. "Patience! You will have your chance to fight!" Amanda yelled. _And perhaps to even die,_ she added silently.

Heather, Kyle, and Mark were keeping a look out. When the monster came into view, all three nearly screamed in fear. "W-what is that thing?!" Kyle demanded. Lighting began to fly in all directions. It was a Raikou's natural defense to things that might startle it.

Mark reared up on his hind legs. "I'm scared!!"

Heather narrowed her eyes and growled. _It's do or die time._ With a roar, she turned and shouted, "Spirit! It's coming!"

Spirit heard Heather from her perch on top of a house. She could easily see the monster too. Just the sight of it almost made her heart stop. "**Right. Now, all of you listen, there might be some tough decisions to make in this battle. I want you to know that I value each and every one of you. Not as fighters, though. As people. I want you to know that your sacrifice with not go quietly into the night. There will be people who will remember the fallen. There will be survivors.** " Spirit yelled.

Karen landed next to Spirit. "You heard her! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" She screeched and opened her wings. "Come on! Do not be afraid. You have friendly eyes in the sky!" She looked up and gasped. "Spirit! What is that? What's that coming toward us?"

Spirit followed Karen's gaze. A long green Pokemon was descending from the sky. Something about this Pokemon was familiar to her. "**It's Rayquaza!** " She gasped.

"No way!" Amanda saw the Rayquaza as well.

"**Little ones. We have chosen to join you. This is no longer just your battle. This is our battle as well.** " Rayquaza bellowed. Right then, the ground opened up and a massive red Pokemon appeared. Groudon. Shortly afterwards, a tidal wave slammed into the nearby beach. Kyogre!

"**We see that if we do not help you, the world will be thrown into utter chaos. The great gods, Palkia and Dialga, do not wish to see this happen.** " Groudon said to the masses of Pokemon.

Spirit sighed in relief. Now they had a chance. Then she looked up. The sky opened up. Not just the sky, but the very fabric of the earthly realm as well. A large whitish Pokemon with a golden cross-like wheel attached to its body. Spirit couldn't believe her eyes. "**Arceus!** "

The great creator touched the earth with his golden hooves and looked keenly at Spirit, who was much smaller than he was. "**Spirit. You have done well. However, this threat is beyond what these humans are capable of. We must assist. The very foundation of this world is at stake. If the creature wins, it will continue turning innocent humans into Pokemon. That would completely destroy this world.** "

"I can't believe what I'm looking at!" Kyle yelped from his position on the ground. He had a very startled look on his face.

Arceus laughed, "**Children.** " Then he grew serious again. "**Spirit. I warn you that this will be a very bloody fight. Some of us might not survive.** "

Spirit knew that a lot of the humans would die. They were not natural Pokemon and had little to no understanding of their powers. However, it never occurred to her that some of the legendary Pokemon that had come to assist might parish as well. "**Arceus…** " She began.

He looked at her and almost smiled. Then he walked away.


	14. Chapter 14

Amanda sat on the ledge of a roof. She worried that their small army wouldn't have enough firepower to hold back the beast. _Relax. Just trust Spirit. She knows what she's doing._ Somehow that thought didn't make her feel any better. Amanda turned and watched the monster approach the town. Then she saw the masses of Pokemon gathering around the outskirts of town.

"**Alright! Let's go!!**" Spirit yelled at the top of her lungs. She felt stupid. Arceus should be leading the attack, not her. If not Arceus, then someone other than her should have led the attack!

The Pokemon charged forward, screaming and roaring. They would not be defeated so easily. Not by a long shot. "ATTACK!!" Heather howled. Her brother and cousin chased after her, howling.

"It's huge!!" A random Persian yelped in shock.

The three-headed beast turned to face the small army. "What? Do you dare oppose me? I'll show you that I am the greatest!" The monster attacked, launching Hydro Pump and Fire Blast from the Charizard and Gyarados heads.

"Dodge!!" Kyle yelped. He and a band of Pokemon leaped aside. A single Caterpie was hit and killed.

"**Earth Power!!!**" Arceus bellowed, standing daintily on his golden hooves. The attack hit the Gyarados head and did some damage, but it wasn't enough to bring down the beast. "**Shoot! I missed!**"

"Curse you!" The Charizard head roared and used Flamethrower. Arceus dodged nimbly and leaped away. Right then, Groudon burst from the ground and bellowed, using Earthquake. The attack shattered the ground and caused the beast to stagger slightly.

"Hydro Pump!!" Karen cried from above the beast. She sent out a blast of water from her mouth. The attack was a direct hit. The beast screamed in pain.

Suddenly, something that was beyond what any of the fighters expected happened. The beast began to transform. Originally it had three heads, two legs, and two arms. The tail was long, like a Dragonite. When it transformed, two more legs appeared, making it a quadruped. Then the arms disappeared and a long gash appeared on its chest. Suddenly, the gash opened up and teeth began to grow. It was a mouth!

"W-what on earth is that?!" Amanda cried from the air.

"**Don't hesitate!**" Rayquaza bellowed, shooting from the sky in order to use Draco Meteor. Suddenly, the even more horrific monster looked up and unleashed a massive Overheat attack. "**Rahhhh!!!!**" The long green dragon screamed as it burst into flames.

"**Rayquaza!! No!**" Spirit cried in horror. The dragon collapsed on the ground and did not move. Rayquaza was dead. "**No! No! No! This cannot be happening!**" Spirit turned to face the monster. "**You will pay!!**"

"Not likely." The beast answered with its newly formed chest mouth.

Spirit growled and noticed Mercury land next to her. "**Get on me. I'll carry you high enough. Then you can jump on that thing and rip into it. Use every ounce of your power.**" He looked at her and nodded slowly.

"**Right. Thanks, Mercury. Just don't get yourself killed.**" Spirit leaped on him and crouched down low so his wings wouldn't blow her off. Together, they rose into the sky. Spirit could see Karen and Amanda attacking with their special abilities. Amanda used Sacred Fire. The attack did next to nothing.

"**Alright. We're here. Good luck, Spirit!**" Mercury hovered right above the monster. He had to be careful. The monster could notice him and blow him out of the sky, just like what happened with Rayquaza.

Spirit leaped off of him and hit the monster hard. The skin had the texture of sandpaper. "**What the? What is this?**" She yelped. Her claws could barely grip on the rough skin. _This makes no sense! I should not be having this much trouble holding on._ She used her teeth to dig into the rough flesh. The taste of the monster was horrible. It made Spirit want to gag.

"What is this?" The beast turned one head to look back at Spirit. "Hah! Little one! Have you any fear of me?" Spirit ignored the monster and began using Crunch to rip into the skin, even though it tasted terrible. "Hmmm…" The monster began to rock back and forth in an attempt to throw off the white Mightyena. It worked. Spirit was thrown from the back of the monster.

"Spirit!!!" Karen caught her and flew back to the ground. "What were you thinking?! You could have been killed!!"

"**I don't care. We must defeat this monter. No matter what.**" Spirit turned and watched a Fire Blast destroy an entire wave of Pokemon. "**That's half our attacking force. We're losing.**"

"It's not over yet." Karen swished her tail with aggression.

Spirit watched as Arceus and Groudon attack at the same time. The monster blocked both attacks with a barrier of sorts and slammed into them with its tail. Both legendary Pokemon staggered backwards. Then the chest mouth opened and Groudon was swallowed up. "**NO! Groudon!**" Arceus yelped in sock.

"**This is insane! This is impossible! There is no way we can win!**" Spirit shook her head. Then she noticed something odd. Everytime the monster used an attack, the fabric that made up this realm shuddered. Space and time was having a very difficult time handling the firepower of the monster.

Meanwhile, across the battlefield, the trio of Heather, Kyle, and Mark attacked. They had seen Groudon being eaten. They had seen Rayquaza burst into flames. There was just no hope. "We're doomed!" Mark screamed.

"Not doomed. Dead." Kyle said flatly. His tail hung down low and he moaned.

Heather turned to face her brother. "You dolt! We still have a shot! Kyogre and Arceus haven't died yet!"

"Key word being yet." Kyle muttered.

Mark groaned and looked up. "What's going on now?" He noticed a rift in the air. His cousins looked up.

"It's like that monster is trying to destroy the planet," Kyle moaned and shook his head. Then he noticed Arceus leaping at the monster again. Spirit followed.

"**Spirit! You must get back!**" Arceus yelled as he lunged forward.

"**No! I'm staying by your side!**" Spirit answered. Her claws dug into the ground as she picked up speed.

Arceus slowed to a stop and turned to face Spirit. "**Do not question me. Spirit. I love you like a daughter. I want only what is best for you. Please. Go back with your friends. They will be your family now.**" Arceus turned away from her and whispered, "**You will be the supreme Pokemon now.**" Before Spirit could question him, he raced off.

The monster turned to face Arceus and laughed, "You alone oppose me?!"

Arceus did not answer. He charged forward and yelled, "**Judgement!!**" His body was covered in bright light. Then the light shot out and hit the monster.

"Rahhhh!!!" The monster screamed as the Gyarados head blew off. Then the Charizard head was destroyed. "No!" The monster turned and lunged forward. With a bellow, the razor sharp teeth in its chest mouth caught Arceus and flung him into the air.

"**Arceus!!**" Spirit screamed, running as fast as she could toward the great Pokemon. She dodged random attacks and leaped over massive craters. "**Are you okay?**"

A long gash ran alongside the flank of Arceus. Blood covered his lower half. "**S-Spirit? Get away. It's not safe here."** His voice sounded weak.

Spirit nudged him. "**No! Arceus! You must not die! You can't!**"

His red eyes locked into her blue eyes. "**Child. My dear child. You must decide destiny now. It is you who will decide the fates of these people. You must find the other two shrines. You must complete the ancient device that can save these people. Spirit. You must….climb to the shrine….to right what is…wrong. The world….will be healed by….the guardian's song."** His eyes closed slightly. He didn't have much time.

Spirit barked at him. "**What song?! I don't know any song!!!**"

He laughed weakly. "**Spirit. The song…dwells within…you.**"

That wasn't a good enough answer. "**Arceus? Stay with me! Come on, Arceus! How will I know the song?**" Spirit tried to force it out of him, but it was too late. Arceus had died.


	15. Chapter 15

"**No! No! Nooooo!!!**" Spirit screamed as she nudged the body of Arceus. She just couldn't understand why he, the creator of all things, would just sacrifice himself to protect a bunch of nobodies. That made no sense!

The monster, who now only had the machine head and the chest mouth, roared in fury, "Now you've done it! I'm going all out!" The beast aimed its machine head at Spirit and fired.

"Spirit!" Amanda dived and rammed hard into Spirit, sending both crashing to the ground in a heap of talons and paws. "Are you okay? We can't give up now!" Amanda regained her footing and puffed up her feathers in anger.

Spirit, on the other hand, looked down at the ground and moaned, "**Why? What's the use? Arceus is dead. Rayquaza is dead. Groudon is dead. Why bother fighting?**"

Amanda used a wing to slap Spirit across the face. "Snap out of it! Don't you get it? Arceus and the others died so that we might have a shot of winning! They knew that if they didn't die, we would be toast!"

Spirit didn't want to hear Amanda right then. She did noticed Karen and Mercury diving on the beast and pulling up just before they slammed into the monster. She noticed Heather, Kyle, and Mark trying to stop the allied Pokemon from running away in fear. She noticed something black in the air. _Black?_ She blinked.

"SPIRIT! Give up hope, never will!!!" A familiar voice shrieked from the sky. Honchkrow! He was alive! The black bird landed next to Spirit and opened his wings. "Spirit. Cannot give in. No. Must give in never!"

"**How did you live?**" Spirit asked.

Honchkrow looked amused. "Never know, you will."

"**Figures.**" Spirit turned to watch the battle. "**But how do we stop that thing?**"

Amanda clacked her beak and looked at the Honchkrow. "Any suggestions?"

"No."

"Oh. Well then, I guess we just try our very best to beat that thing."

Spirit looked at Amanda and asked, "**But what if our best isn't good enough?**"

Right then, almost on cue, a voice came from nowhere. _**Your best is always good enough.**_ Suddenly, a bright light engulfed Spirit, Amanda, and Honchkrow. When the light faded, they saw nothing but darkness. Plus two Lugia, a Suicune, an Entei, and a Raikou. All faces looked scared.

"Now what's going on?" Kyle demanded, looking very frightened.

Karen's eyes locked on a letter that had floated by. "I feel like I'm trapped in alphabet soup…" She muttered as another letter passed by her head.

"**Unown.**" Mercury observed. One of the letters almost ran into him.

"What's an Unown?" Mark asked.

Spirit decided to answer. "**An Unown is a very powerful Pokemon. They can control reality to some extent. Or so I've heard. Taylor's dad once had to deal with these Pokemon. Other than that, I don't know much else.**"

"Taylor?" Amanda asked.

"**Taylor was one of the humans who had originally turned into a Riolu. She evolved into Lucario. Don't you people listen to the legends? Sheesh!**" Spirit shook her head and glanced around the darkness. "**This isn't natural. I can sense it. This isn't our world.**"

"If it's not our world, then who belongs here?" Kyle asked.

_**We do.**_ A silent voice echoed in the darkness. The Unown seemed to flee at the sound of this voiceless voice.

"Who is 'we'?" Heather wondered.

Suddenly, a blue and pink light appeared in the darkness. Two forms began to appear. Spirit gasped. One was Dialga, the dragon that controlled time. The other was Palkia, the dragon that controlled space. They looked at each other. It was obvious that the duo did not get alone.

"I can't believe it." Kyle whispered. He was in awe.

Spirit stared at the two creatures. They both had powers that she could not even begin to understand. "**Why have you brought us here?**" She asked, even though she felt like she could fall over from the shock that two of the greatest Pokemon ever would have summoned her.

_**Your world is in grave danger.**_ The voice of Palkia said silently.

_**Your opponent is much stronger than you are.**_ Dialga's voice said.

"How should we defeat it?" Karen asked.

Both dragons looked at her. _**There is a way. We will offer to teach you an attack that may put an end to the behemoth's evil reign. However, we cannot guarantee you that this plan of ours will work.**_

"Yeah yeah. Who cares? We need firepower!" Kyle said.

_**Very well. **_The dragons closed their eyes. Orbs of light appeared in front of each Pokemon. _**Take this attack. It might prove to be useful.**_

Spirit sniffed the orb. It seemed safe enough. Palkia and Dialga wouldn't hurt them, would they? _If our world goes, they go as well. They don't want to die too._ Spirit decided that the two dragon deities would not harm them. She stepped into the light. Her eyes widened. She had forgotten that since she was the ultimate Pokemon, she could now learn things that she could never had learned before. Spirit was to learn the signature attack of Arceus: Judgment.

Karen stepped into her orb and gasped. She would learn the ultimate Lugia move: Sky Attack. Mercury would learn the same attack as Karen. Both Lugia looked at each other and nodded. They would take the assault to the air.

Amanda would learn the attack that had ended Rayquaza's life: Overheat. Kyle, on the other hand, would learn attack called Giga Impact. Heather would take with her the attack called Blizzard. And Mark would learn Lava Plume. Honchkrow, for being an outstanding servant to the duo of dragons, would learn Defog as payment.

_**We have given you these new attacks. Use them to your advantage.**_ With that, the dragons vanished and the band of Pokemon was sent back to the battlefield armed with new attacks. Now things were going to become very interesting.


	16. Chapter 16

Spirit looked up, still reeling from the strange encounter with Dialga and Palkia, plus a hoard of Unown. She had learned Judgment and was willing to pass judgment on that monster. It had killed too many innocent people and Pokemon. Too many had perished. And now she was going to make that thing pay. "**Guys? Follow my lead!**" Spirit yelled.

"Gotcha!" Kyle leaped behind her.

Heather joined her brother and yelled, "I'm right here!"

"Count me in!" Mark said.

"Right!" Karen agreed.

Mercury landed beside Karen and nodded, "**I'm here.**"

Amanda hovered a few feet above them and said, "I won't leave you all. I'm here as well."

Finally, Honchkrow cried, "Lived long time have I. Fight for Spirit, I will."

Spirit wanted to smile. This reminded her of the time when Klara, Taylor, and Koneko had faced off against Regice, Registeel, and Regirock. However, at that time, Spirit was dead. "**Right. Let's go!!!**" She yelled, running at full speed. The others raced to catch up.

The monster noticed this attack and laughed, "What? You attack me?"

"**Split off. He can't hit us all at once!**" Mercury yelled, shooting off away from Karen and Amanda. Honchkrow followed.

"Hah! Do you think you can beat me?" The monster continued to laugh and used Smokescreen to keep the vision poor.

Honchkrow yelled, "Defog!!!" He began to flap his wings hard in order to clear the air.

"Like that will defeat me." The monster laughed, then he noticed Karen and Mercury charging up energy. "Pah! Pathetic."

"I'll show you pathetic!!" Kyle yelled, slamming his body down on the beast with Giga Impact. The blow was staggering.

Heather watched as her brother leaped to safety and cried, "Blizzard!" Waves of snow slammed into the beast, sending it reeling backwards.

Mark jumped in front of the monster and yelled, "Lava Plume!!" He spewed out a flaming liquid that hit the monster.

"RAHHHH!!!" The monster screamed. It was getting weaker.

Right then, Karen and Mercury had finished charging up for Sky Attack. Their bodies glowed brightly and they dived on the monster. Both bodies slammed into the creature. The monster waved the machine head around wildly in an attempt to harm someone.

Finally, once the beast had stopped flopping around, it had to face Spirit. "Uh-oh…" It whispered with its chest mouth.

"**This is for Arceus.**" Spirit said simply. "**Judgment!!!**" She called out. Bright light covered her body and she leaped at the monster with the force of one thousand rampaging Gyarados.

"GAHHHH!!!" The monster screamed as the body began to melt away into nothingness. The machine head detached from the main body.

Karen and Mercury nodded and used Aeroblast. The combined efforts blew the machine apart. The battle was over. The two Lugia looked at each other and turned to face Spirit, who had begun to howl.

"**It's over! The monster has been destroyed! It is finished!**" Spirit howled over and over.

Suddenly, the group was back in the darkness. "Oh great. Now what? Do we have more creepy guys to fight?" Kyle wondered.

Palkia and Dialga approached the Pokemon. _**You have done well.**_ They said silently.

"**Great ones. Why have you summoned us back? I thought that you were finished with us**." Spirit asked.

_**There is still one more thing we must tell you. Even though the monster is defeated, you have to find the ancient shards. Only the device can return you humans back to normal.**_ Both said together.

Palkia looked directly at Spirit. _**When we created the device, we had never thought that so many people would become Pokemon. We fear that the numbers of human-turned-Pokemon are too great.**_

"What do you mean?" Heather asked as politely as possible.

Karen answered, "It means that some people won't be returning to normal."

_**That is correct**_, Dialga said.

"What? That's insane!" Kyle yelled.

"Kyle!" Amanda yelped.

He turned to face her and yelled, "No! I'm so tired of having my opinions shoved off in the background. I never asked to be a Raikou! I didn't want this! Now I learn that some of us might not ever be human again! That's not fair! That's just not fair!!"

Heather looked at her brother and sighed, "Kyle. Shut up."

"What?!" He snarled.

"Shut up. We do not want to hear your mouth. So do us all a favor and shut your trap."

"How dare you say things like that! Heather! Don't you want to be human again?" Kyle yelled.

"Of course I do! That's a stupid question!" She yelled back.

"**Silence. All of you.**" Spirit snapped at them. "**You dare throw insults at each other in front of Dialga and Palkia? Do you realize just how big of fools you two look right now?**"

"I don't care. I just want to go home and sleep in nice warm sheets. In a nice warm bed. In a nice warm house. I don't want to remain a Pokemon all the rest of my life." Kyle whined.

Karen turned to face Kyle. "Kyle. We understand that you're scared. We are all scared. We just need to hang on to sanity a little bit longer. Come on, buddy. A little longer. Then we can all go nuts."

Dialga and Palkia looked at each other and blinked. Then they both turned back to Spirit. _**At the end of this journey, once the humans are normal, then you will find the shrine. You, Spirit, have the power to heal the world once more. However, there is a slight problem.**_

"**What is that?**"

_**In order to do the song properly, the earth, water, and air guardians must be present. Kyogre, while you were in this realm, perished. Rayquaza, the air guardian, is gone. Groudon was the earth guardian. Spirit, you need to have those three elements present when the song is preformed or else it will not work.**_

"**And where do I get an air, earth, and water guardian?**" Spirit asked. The two dragons looked at her keenly and vanished.__They knew that she had realized what had to be done. Only a legendary Pokemon could be the guardians and the original guardians were killed. The only legendary Pokemon around were the people that surrounded her. Two Lugia. A Ho-oh. A Suicune. An Entei. And a Raikou. Those were all the legendary Pokemon that was left. Everyone else had been killed by humans or destroyed by that monster.

Honchkrow figured out what was going to happen as well. "Someone has decision tough, yes?" He asked Spirit.

"**Yes. They most certainly do.**" Spirit knew that some of her friends would never become human ever again.


	17. Chapter 17

Spirit glanced over to see if anyone had heard what Dialga and Palkia had said. No. The only part of the conversation they might have heard was Spirit. She glanced back at the two dragons and noticed that they had vanished. Only Unown surrounded them. But she could hear their voices. _**Remember Spirit, you are the one who can save these humans. Have no fear, child. We are watching you at all times. So are the others.**_

Spirit blinked. _Others? What others?_ She wondered, looking around. A massive batch of Unown flew around them. Karen was right. It was like being trapped in alphabet soup.

"So now what?" Amanda asked. She looked around and added, "I'd like to go to my own dimension now."

Spirit glanced at her and answered, "**I guess we can go now. Dialga and Palkia have left. I assume they don't need us anymore.**" Right then, she found herself and the others standing on land back in their own realm. "**Well then. That was freaky.**"

Karen saw the carnage around them. Dead and dying Pokemon and the corpse of the monster were lying on the ground. "I had hoped this wouldn't be here. Blah." She looked disgusted.

"**It's okay.**" Mercury nuzzled her.

Kyle glared at the male Lugia and growled slightly. Then he asked, "Okay. So now what do we do? Wait around until something else happens?"

"**No. We must continue our quest. We have to find all four shards that will make up the device that can return humans into their natural state. There are two remaining: the one on the mountain and the one that's in the forbidden forest. We must make haste before anything bad happens.**" Spirit began to trot away.

"Wait." Heather called out. Spirit turned around and saw the group panting. "Can we please take a breather? We're exhausted."

"**Fine. We can rest.**" Spirit laid down and tucked her paws under her body. She rested her head down on the grass and closed her eyes. She assumed that the others did the same. With a sigh, she fell into a deep sleep. In her sleep, Spirit dreamt of the shrine. She saw a rock formation that appeared to look like a giant tree. _Wait. The shrine is in the Tree of Beginning? But it was in the Land of Legendaries. That's impossible. That land was destroyed years ago._ In her dream, she saw a Mew gliding up to the shrine. _That's the Mew that saved my friends._ Then she saw shadows. Three shadows that looked surprisingly familiar. One shadow looked canine-like. Another had massive pinchers. The third had a sickle on top of its head. _A Lucario, Scizor, and an Absol. What on earth is going on?_

She was awoken when Mark stepped on her tail. She was up in a flash. "Sorry, Spirit!" Mark cried when he realized what he had done.

"**Fine. It's fine.**" Spirit grumbled and yawned.

Amanda flew overhead. "So, are we going to try to find those other two shrines today?" She asked.

"**Yes. We are. Come on, guys. Let's go.**" Spirit made sure her tail was okay, and then took off at full speed. The others raced after her.

"Ha HAH! We're going to become human again!!!" Kyle yelled, leaping high in the sky.

Honchkrow rose in the sky, following Amanda, Karen, and Mercury. "Follow you, I will. Help you might need. Offer it, I can." He babbled.

Mercury craned his head up to look at the mountains. "**Spirit? Are we going to the mountain shrine first?**" He asked.

She considered it for a minute. _If we go to the mountain first, then we can gather Klara's shard, but that shrine is the most difficult to reach and might prove to be too difficult for everyone. I suppose we could fly up, but I don't know how much weight a Lugia can bare. They can carry me, but can they carry something as large as an Entei?_ She sighed and glanced back at Mercury and said, "**Yes. We're going to retrieve the mountain shard first. Then, as soon as we're done with that, we're going to the forbidden forest to recover the final shard.**"

"Then what?" Karen asked. All eyes focused on Spirit.

She sighed, "**I don't know. I guess we'll return everyone back into their natural form.**"

"Can you return to human, Spirit?" Heather asked.

Spirit had always dreaded the answer. She had no idea if she could return to human or if she even wanted to return. If she did return to human, she would have no life. All her family was long dead. All she knew was being a Mightyena. Plus she was now the head Pokemon. "**No, Heather. I will remain in this form. That is my destiny.**"

"Oh." Heather answered, looking somewhat shocked.

Amanda glided ahead of the bunch and watched the activity from above. "I hate to say this, but there is a pack of Weavile just up ahead.. What should we do?" She asked.

Spirit growled. Weavile were dangerous opponents. And it would take too long to go around them. "**Go right on in and hope that they aren't in the mood for fighting.**"

"Let's hope." Kyle said darkly. The band of Pokemon reached the territory. Kyle stiffed the ground and growled, "They're here. This scent is fresh."

"**Be ready for a fight.**" Mercury warned, landing next to Spirit.

"Been ready." Amanda muttered.

Then, out of nowhere, three Weavile leaped out of the trees. They looked like they wanted to fight, but held back the urge. "We need you," they hissed.

"**Why?**" Spirit asked. She didn't trust them.

The three Weavile looked at each other and answered, "Our leader was injured. We were in a battle with a pack of Houndoom. He was hurt badly and we can do nothing for him."

"**Nothing? Nothing at all?**" Spirit wanted to know more before she offered to help them.

"Nothing." They replied simply.

Spirit sighed. She really didn't want to be held up by the problems of the Weavile. However, the others seemed to be interested in helping. "We can't leave their leader to die. What kind of people would we be then?" Heather asked. Her long streamers flailed back with passion.

"We'd be bad people." Mark supplied.

Karen spoke up. "They're right. We need to help them. That'd be the right thing to do."

Spirit turned to each member. They all wanted to help the Weavile. "**Very well. Take us to your leader. We will see what we can do.**"

"Thank you!" The Weavile cried and took off running into the forest. They would stop every now and then to make sure they didn't lose the band of travelers. It wasn't long until they reached the cave where the Weavile lived. "In there. That's where our leader is. Please hurry. We fear that he doesn't have much time left."


	18. Chapter 18

They entered the cave and saw a Sneasel lying on its back. The breathing was terribly labored. Kyle waltzed in and saw the Pokemon. "I can't believe my eyes. These Weavile are being bossed around by some Sneasel? That's a shock." He muttered sarcastically.

"Be quiet!" Heather scolded harshly.

The trio of Weavile stood in front of the Sneasel and said in a hiss, "We do not wish to see something unfortunate happen." It seemed to be a warning.

"**Same here.**" Spirit growled at the Weavile. She trotted toward the Sneasel and sniffed his head. _The Houndoom did this? I can't believe it from the looks of these wounds. These aren't burns, they're scratches. Did those Weavile attack their leader? I wouldn't be surprised if they did._ She flashed a glance at the Weavile. They weren't paying any attention to her. _Then why would they want help?_

"Spirit?" Heather called. She was standing at the entrance of the cave.

"**What is it?**" She asked.

Heather jerked her head and Spirit walked over. "Look. Blood. And from what I can gather, it's Sneasel blood."

Spirit considered this bit of information. "**That would make sense. If the Sneasel was attacked, then he would be bleeding.**"

"Is there any bite marks on him?" Heather wondered. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

The Mightyena revealed her sharp teeth in a low growl. "**No. Only scratches and Houndoom doesn't scratch.**" All eyes focused on the Weavile. "**Well, I guess these Weavile wanted us here for a purpose. What is it? We know that it was you who attacked the Sneasel. Tell us, was he your leader? Or was he just some poor innocent Pokemon that you decided to use as bait?**"

The three Weavile looked at each other. Suddenly, a larger Weavile appeared in between them. "I am Warg, leader of these Weavile. I had no intentions on harming you, despite our well known reputation to harm others. This Sneasel was a traitor. We want you to judge him."

Spirit stared at Warg. "**Why me?**"

"Because you are the replacement for Arceus. What? Did you think that the news wouldn't spread that Arceus was dead? Nonsense! We knew. And we also know of your quest." Warg grinned, revealing his sharp fangs. "Yes. Don't look surprised. I know that you are traveling with five humans, one true Lugia, and one true Honchkrow."

"**How do you know all this?**" Spirit demanded. Her fur began to rise with anger. She felt her instincts to attack begin to surface. These Weavile, even though they too were dark type Pokemon, would experience her sharp teeth if they didn't start talking soon.

Warg knew this. "We are Weavile. We have our ways in knowing. Spirit, I am willing to assist you in climbing these mountains. I know full well that even though these humans are in legendary Pokemon forms, they cannot even begin to understand the perils that lie before them. They probably never hiked in their lives."

"That's true." Kyle joked.

Spirit ignored the comment. "**How would you help us?**"

"Simple. We can guide you on a save path up the mountains. We can even help in getting you back off the mountain. Heh, even though we are Weavile, we do have our honor. And we mustn't forget the guardian Scizor that is said to protect these mountains from rockslides and avalanches."

"**A guardian Scizor?**" Spirit wanted to know more.

Warg smiled, "Ah yes. You know the guardian Scizor. Yes, yes. Well then, shall we be going? You can punish our little Sneasel once we reach the bottom. You promise?"

"**Fine. Let's just get going.**" Spirit grumbled. She had a bad feeling about these Weavile. They were not to be trusted. She kept a close eye on Warg. He was highly intelligent. More intelligent that he should be. More intelligent for his own good.

"Step lively! We want to reach the summit before nightfall, yes?" Warg shouted to the Weavile. They began to pick up the pace.

Sure enough, Warg had kept his promise. He had led the group up a secret path that was surprisingly safe. However, once they reached a certain point in the journey, things began to slow down. It was Mark who pointed it out first. "Hold….on….I can….barely breath…" He panted.

"Ah yes! Lack of oxygen. Takes a while to get used to it, but you will. Now come on. Let's be on our way." Warg didn't seem to wear out. Neither did the three other Weavile.

Even Karen, Mercury, and Amanda were affected. They had to land. "How…how much…longer?" Karen panted.

Spirit looked over her shoulder. "**Not much. It should be up ahead.**"

"H-how come….you're not….exhausted?" Kyle moaned.

"**I'm used to climbing mountains and facing extreme cold. Don't worry. Not much longer.**" Spirit reassured the worn out Pokemon.

"Oh great…snow." Amanda grumbled. Sure enough, snow was peppering down from the sky. The air was cold enough that it could possibly cut though a Steelix.

The Weavile, on the other hand, cheered. "Snow!!!" They began to pelt each other with snowballs. Warg was the only one not joining the snow battle.

"Come on, let's keep climbing." He muttered, leaping over a rock and walking up the path. The others followed. Some were more willing to go than others. It was a few minutes later when Warg stopped. He looked back at Spirit and pointed to a dip in the ground. "There. It was there when the Scizor fell, frozen. We place snow flowers in that spot every year to honor the Scizor. Even though we aren't the same species, I feel that we Weavile and that Scizor could have lived in harmony."

Spirit understood. That dip in the snow was the exact spot where Klara died in an attempt to rid the world of that terrible machine once and for all. _Warg must not know her real name. He keeps calling Klara the Scizor. Granted, the shrine was build for her and it's in the shape of a Scizor. Maybe this Warg is taking things a little too seriously._ She sniffed the ground and looked around.

Warg smiled toothily. "It's not much further. We're at the summit of the mountain. No sane human would dare climb this mountain. And yet, I see five humans that ventured into the heart of this mountain. But you are not in human form. Well then, I suppose what I should have said was that no human in human form would safely climb this mountain. Heh heh heh." He cleared the brush out of his way with a Slash attack.

Right in front of them stood a statue. The statue showed a Scizor with its arm raised to the sky, as if attempting to reach out and grab the heavens themselves. "**Klara was always the one who believe that if you can will it, you can do it. I think that this pose fits her best.**" Spirit explained. Then she heard a noise. Rustling in the bushes! "**Shhh! Keep quiet.**" She hissed, creeping toward the bushes. When she peeped to see what it was, she was surprised to find nothing.

The Honchkrow, who had said pretty much nothing since this trip first began, muttered, "Lost her mind, Spirit has. No one in bushes."

"**I could have sworn that I heard someone.**" Spirit sniffed the ground. Nothing. With a sigh, she returned to the statue. "**Okay. This one is tricky to open since the words that open it have long since vanished from memory.**"

"You have to say something in order for it to open?" Heather asked.

Spirit nodded. "**Right. Now if my memory serves me well, I can repeat the sacred words that will unlock the third shard.**" She cleared her throat.

Mark interrupted, "Can we sing along?"

Heather rolled her eyes and sighed, "No. This isn't a musical."

"**Okay. Let me try this again. No interrupting.**" Spirit glared at everyone. Then she began to say the words that could release the shard. "**To protect the world from devastation…to unite all peoples within our nations…to denounce the evils of truth and love! To extend our reach to the stars above!**" Spirit had decided to use the motto that Klara's parents, Jessie and James of Team Rocket, had said long ago. Sure enough, after Spirit had said those words, the shrine moved backward, revealing a small cave under the statue.

"Uh…we have to go down there?" Mark gulped.

Warg peered down into the hole. "It's not too bad. If you want, I can go down and bring the shard back to you."

"**That won't be necessary. Honchkrow? How is your night vision?**"

Honchkrow laughed, "Dark Pokemon am I. Night is home. Night vision keen, it is." With a crackle, he shot down into the hole, half folding his wings to prevent them from slamming into the sides of the cave.

Warg glanced up at Spirit. "Where on earth did you find that thing? He can barely speak properly."

"**Believe me, if I could leave him, I would.**" Spirit answered.

The Weavile began to chatter. "Maybe we can eat him?" One of them suggested.

Warg turned sharply. "You are not eating anything right now." In his fury, he scratched the careless Weavile. "Now be quiet."

Right on cue, Honchknow shot up out of the cave and landed. In his beak was the bright red shard of the Scizor. It seemed to glow slightly. "**Good. Now we have three. Amanda? I seemingly recall that you took care of the other two. Is that right?"** Spirit prayed that Amanda didn't lose them during the battle with the monster.

"Yes. I still have them jammed in my feathers." She grabbed them with her beak and laid them on the ground with the new one. The shard from Koneko's shrine was black. The other shard, the one from Taylor's shrine, was blue. Klara's shard was red.

"**Good. Well done, Amanda.**" Spirit nodded then turned back to Warg. "**Well, it looks like we're done. Thanks for your help.**"

"Not so fast. We kept our end on the bargain. Now where's yours?" Warg looked at her keenly.

"**You mean you still want me to harm that Sneasel?**" Spirit couldn't believe how cold-hearted these Weavile were.

"Yes. As I recall, you promised to judge him." Warg tapped a claw on his chin. His eyes narrowed.

_He's looking for a fight, _Spirit realized. She could not let Warg think that she was weak. If he had the slightest thought that she was, he would attack her without any warning. He could easily kill her with those massive claws. Claws that he used to snatch Pidgey eggs from their nest and harm weaker Sneasel.

Warg and the three Weavile stepped forward. "Spirit. Just do your job. We have the home field advantage. We know this area. These forests. These mountains. These are our home. Our turf. So do us all a favor and punish that traitor Sneasel!" Warg yelled. His bloodthirsty instincts were barely under control.

"**I will not harm a helpless Pokemon. Unlike you.**" Spirit growled, adding fuel to the fire.

"How dare you!" Warg yelled. He and his three minions leaped at the group, claws bared. They were ready to battle.


	19. Chapter 19

Warg dipped in low, claws bared. He was aiming for Spirit's throat. Suddenly, Honchkrow zipped forward, slamming headfirst into Warg's side. Both went tumbling head over heels down the mountain until Warg's claws managed to sink deeply into the earth, stopping the fall. The Weavile under Warg's command attacked as well. All three began to gang up on Spirit.

"**Don't just stand there gawking! Do something!"** Spirit yelled as she dodged a massive set of claws that had flew past her head. A second set of claws tried to catch her side, but she managed to turn fast enough and pounced on top of the Weavile. After that, she could utilize her fangs to leave the Pokemon immobilized.

"Wahhh! Boss! Help!" The Weavile under attack by Spirit wailed at the top of his lungs.

Right then, Warg leaped away from Honchkrow and attempted to attack Spirit using Metal Claw. However, he didn't see Karen's massive tail. The white Lugia tail knocked the legs out from under Warg, sending the Weavile landing hard on his back. "That was a cheap shot!" He yelled, standing up.

Karen stood to her full height, making Warg seem like a plaything. "Do you want to say that to my face?" She asked in a low hiss.

Warg growled and lunged at Karen. Again, her tail came forward in an attempt to swat him away, but he was ready for it. Using Quick Attack, Warg slammed into Karen and latched onto her with his sharp claws. "Hah! Your neck is just like a tree! I can use my claws to climb up your neck to your head! Then it's bye-bye eyes!" He crowed.

"**Oh no, you don't!**" Mercury grabbed Warg by the tail and held him high in the air.

Spirit watched in amusement at the Weavile struggled to get out of Mercury's mouth. "Let me down!!" He cried over and over.

"**If you release the Sneasel, we will let you go.**" Spirit said to Warg quietly.

"Yes, yes! Fine! You win. Just put me down!" Warg stopped struggling and Mercury released his tail. Once back on ground, he said, "Indeed, you are good fighters. It takes guts to fight with us. Yes. Indeed. Very well. You have the shard. Now leave us in peace and we will have no more use for you."

"**That's fine. We shall leave you and you will no longer bother us.**" Spirit was thrilled to be leaving the Weavile. She looked at the others and said, "**Okay. Move out. We're heading to the forbidden forest.**"

Warg and his fellow Weavile climbed to the top of a tree and watched the travelers leave. "Good hunting," Warg muttered. Then he noticed a Pidgey nest above his head. "And good hunting to us as well."

Meanwhile, after the strange experience with the Weavile, Spirit and her group of travelers left the mountains. "**Well, I hope you are all happy. If you hadn't insisted that we helped those Weavile, we'd already be on the way to the last shrine.**" Spirit did not sound pleased.

Amanda, who was flying above them with Mercury, Karen, and Honchkrow, replied, "Those Weavile did show us a safe way up the mountain. I guess that's good."

Spirit sighed, "**Let's just hope we don't have any more run-ins with Pokemon territories. Jeez, I'm sorta surprised that none of you have gone postal on some poor innocent Pokemon yet.**"

"What do you mean?" Kyle asked. He was following behind Spirit.

She didn't look back at him. "**When you first become a Pokemon, its instincts are hard to control. I heard that when Koneko first became an Absol, she almost ate a Pichu. Then when Klara when nuts, she actually ate a Rattata. Gross, huh?**" She looked over her shoulder to see the reactions. Most looked disgusted.

"Ewww! Really? That's just gross!" Amanda shook her head.

"**Actually it's the way of life. Everyone must eat, yes? And you all haven't eaten in a while. I'm sure you are hungry.**" Mercury said the fatal words. It was true. It had been a very long time since any of them ate.

"Don't mention food." Kyle warned.

Mark whined, "I'm hungry."

Spirit stopped walking and looked at the group. "**Yes. We are all hungry. Even I need food. However, I'm sure you all will pass on a hunting lesson, yes? I mean, since you are all humans. Granted most humans eat meat, but you would prefer it if someone killed for you and packed it up in a sheet of plastic and sell it to you at a supermarket, yes?**" Her voice lowered to sounding angry.

"Well, when you put it that way…" Kyle began.

Heather interrupted, "Don't even finish that thought, Kyle! We're not going to start killing things! I'd rather eat grass! Like a Miltank!"

"Hmmm…Miltank…." Mark drooled.

Karen glanced at Spirit and muttered, "So you want us to kill? I suppose that makes sense. I mean, we are in these forms. We can't grab a bowl of soup from the nearest kitchen, right?"

"**That's right. And we need to hurry. I'm sure the town is still in an uproar. We need to gather the last shard and return quickly. May I suggest fast food?**" Spirit grinned.

"Fast food? What do you mean by…?" Karen's voice trailed off. She had spotted something in the bushes. "Hmmm…Stantler." She sounded like she was deep in her mind.

"**Ah yes. Stantler. Those Pokemon can survive anything. I can recall when they were hunted almost to extinction, but humans passed laws so they can regain their numbers. Now we are looking at one of the most common Pokemon around. They have become a nuisance. A few missing from their massive numbers shouldn't hurt.**" Spirit felt her hunting instincts kicking in. She was a predator after all.

"Right! I'm on it!" Kyle raced after the herd of Stantler. The deer may have been fast, but they were no match for the speed of a hungry Raikou. It was all over quickly once Kyle sunk his massive canines into the neck of the Stantler. "Whoo! That was a rush!" He yelled.

"Good job, brother. I guess you're not useless after all." Heather said, leaping toward the carcass. However, Kyle wasn't sharing. "Come on, Kyle. Let us have some."

"No." He growled, shielding the body with his body.

Spirit sighed and muttered, "**Looks like he is having no problem in showing that he is top Raikou here.**"

"Mean, what does?" Honchkrow asked.

"**It means that he is establishing dominance over Heather and the rest of us. He believes that since it is his kill, he should be the first to eat.**"

"Hmmm…" Honchkrow nodded his black head slowly. They watched the weird struggle between the Raikou and the Suicune.

"Let me at it!" Heather yelled.

Kyle stood up and growled, sending a Thunderbolt in her direction. He missed, but warned, "I will not miss again. Now back off."

"**Yes! Let's all back off!**" Spirit decided to step in before things got worse. "**Let Kyle eat first. There is plenty of meat. We can share. After we eat, we can go to the forbidden forest.**" She watched as everyone calmed down. If only they had realized that some of them weren't going to ever be human again, they might not find Spirit such a joy to be with. But that was something that Spirit knew she would have to deal with later on. As for right then, it was dinner time. And she also knew that somewhere up in the mountains, the Weavile were having dinner as well. They were feasting on Pidgey eggs.


	20. Chapter 20

It was nearly dark by the time everyone had eaten. They were restless, though. The food had left them full of energy. Even Kyle was ready to go, which was unusual. He was the first to yell, "Okay. Now that we're done eating, we can go. To the forbidden forest!!" He looked around. "Uh, where is the forbidden forest?"

Spirit looked at him. Her mouth was stained red with Stantler blood. "**We probably should travel by night. That would shorten our trip greatly. I would say that we'll be at the forest by midnight.**"

Amanda nodded her head slowly, "Yeah. That works here. I don't know about the others, but I can fly. I'll probably pass out afterwards." She opened her wings wide.

Karen and Mercury glanced at each other. It seemed that they were talking to each other by telepathy. Then Mercury said, "**We can fly too. All night if need be.**"

"**Good. Good. Very well. We shall be off.**" Spirit turned toward the moon. If the journey had been led by some other Pokemon, they would have failed here. The final shrine was difficult to find, even by someone who helped create it. Spirit would have to follow her nose in order to keep from getting lost.

However, Spirit had help. Honchkrow would fly ahead to see if they were about to enter enemy Pokemon territory. If they were, he could yell back and Spirit would quickly change the course. And if they were near another territory, the Pokemon that owned the land would inform that they would fight if Spirit got too close.

"Jeez, you would think that Pokemon would be friendlier to neighbors, huh?" Kyle muttered shortly after receiving a warning from an enemy pack of Houndour. He was following closely behind Mark. If anything had dared attacked, he would have a chance to react fast and defend the group.

"**No. Most wild Pokemon fear humans.**" Mercury answered from above the trees. Being that they were in a dense forest, Karen, Mercury, and Amanda had to fly above the tree line in order to keep from banging their wings. All three had excellent hearing and could easily hear the conversation below.

Kyle considered that. "But don't the old movies show humans that are lost in the forest that were helped by some wild Pokemon? I remember one movie that had a human woman who was caught in a blizzard. She was saved by Articuno. What happened to Articuno, anyway?" He shot a glance at Spirit, who was considered the expert on legendary Pokemon.

Spirit didn't want to answer that. "**Well, Kyle, it was global warming that wiped out Articuno. Moltres thrived for a while, and so did Zapdos. I believe that if you looked hard enough, you would find the fire bird and thunder bird. They rarely appear. I mean, seeing them is almost impossible. They have grown extremely cautious lately. Not that I can blame them.**"

Heather looked sad from hearing that news. "Oh. Well, what happened to the original Entei, Suicune, and Raikou? Kyle and I have heard about them from school."

"**Those legendary beasts were created by Ho-oh. It was rumored that they were some of the fastest Pokemon in existence. What became of those three, I do not know. I would assume that a few still exist, but that's not certain. You, Kyle, and Mark seem to have taken the place of those beasts.**" Spirit muttered before lowering her snout to the ground and sniffing. She could pick up the faint smell. _That smell. It smells of flowers. That scent is of life. The shrine is coming up soon._She continued to walk forward and glanced up at Honchkrow.

"Territory, this is, of many Pokemon. Understand I cannot. Pokemon not gather together. Not like this." The black bird said. He sounded very confused.

Spirit nodded and closed her eyes. She could feel an eerie presence. Something or someone was watching her. "**Okay. Guys? Keep an eye out from trouble.**" She warned the others.

"What's wrong?" Mark asked.

"**Nothing. I just want to be cautious.**" Spirit did not want to tell them that she was worried.

Amanda's voice rang down from the sky. "Spirit? I can see lights. Something is not right. Something is very wrong here." She must have flown ahead.

"**Human or Pokemon?" **Spirit asked. She strained to see the massive winged Pokemon. They were too far ahead.

_**Can't tell.**_ Mercury answered. He must have been too far away to use spoken words. _**We're checking it out now.**_

Spirit silently cursed. They were getting impatient and careless. She wanted to order the trio back, but at the same time, she was curious. Why would anyone be around the forbidden forest? _Maybe someone wants the final shard?_ Spirit wondered.

"Spirit? Now what? Should we hurry?" Heather asked.

"**Yes. Let's go.**" She took off at full speed. If there was any danger ahead, she hoped that the two Lugia and Ho-oh were strong enough to defeat it. However, as she grew closer, she felt a strange confidence overcome her fear.

Mark looked around and began to ask, "Guys? What is…?" His voice was lost in the sounds of the forest. It was almost like the trees were alive.

"**Welcome to the forbidden forest.**" Spirit said softly. She could tell that this was different from the normal forest. This section of the forest had a magical spell that Spirit had cast on it many years ago. Some Pokemon made this part of the forest their home. It was, after all, safe. However, this feeling of safety was replaced by a feeling for nervousness. Something was not right.

_**Spirit. I hope you can hear me. There are humans here. They are next to the shrine. It looks like they are after the shard. There are a lot of machines down there. But from their confused expressions, I'd say they don't have the shard yet.**_ Mercury informed.

"Why would humans be after the shard?" Heather asked Spirit. Mark and Kyle nodded. They all wanted to know.

Spirit sighed, "**Perhaps these people were a part of the plot to take over the world with that three-headed monster? I don't know. It has me very concerned though.**" The answer didn't sound very good. It wasn't like her to not have the answers.

It was Honchkrow who did. "Years ago, many, when died Spirit did, watched did I. Over Klara, Koneko, and Taylor. Tried best they did to warn people. No one listened. Except bad people. Right into their hands Spirit played. Created shrines with shards. Bad people now could have power of Dialga and Palkia. And monster was distraction. Bad people used monster to distract us. We fought and they attempted to steal sacred shards. Want the last shard to keep device from working." His strange sentences sounded the ring of disaster.

"Are you telling me that we have more problems on our hands?!" Kyle yelped.

"Yes." Honchkrow answered.

Spirit turned to face Honchkrow. "**And how is it that you know all the answers?**" She asked.

He laughed, "Stupid though I may sound, intelligent I am! And visited I have been. By Kuro."

"**WHAT?! Kuro?! That's impossible. That demon died years ago!**" Spirit yelled, revealing her teeth.

"Know, do I. Saw him die, I did. However, strange things happen, yes?" Honchkrow said keenly.

"**But that is impossible! How can someone return from the dead?!**"

"If Dialga and Palkia desire it, possible it is."

"**Why would the great dragons want that flea-bag back into the world?**"

"Wishes, I do not know."

"**Ugh! You are useless sometimes.**" Spirit growled.

"Who's Kuro?" Mark asked.

"**Kurokyohaku. He worked alongside Koneko. Or so I have heard. He was gone by the time I got into the story.**" Spirit explained.

"Ah."

"**And if he's back, that can only mean trouble.**" Spirit shook her head slowly.

Suddenly, _**Spirit! They're attacking us! The humans are attacking!!**_


	21. Chapter 21

_**Spirit! Trouble! We have major trouble! More trouble than you can shake a stick at!**_ Karen's telepathic voice rang out in the mind of Spirit. _**Mercury and I are engaging the enemy. Those humans are sending out Pokemon left and right. You'd think we were at a Pokemon convention by how many Pokemon there are. Whew! Man! **_

"Karen's in trouble!" Kyle yelled, running ahead of Spirit. He was going to go after whatever it was that was causing trouble and shocking the daylights out of it.

"**Kyle! You idiot! Slow down!**" Spirit scolded, chasing after him at full speed. Mark and Heather followed.

_**Amanda is coming to you.**_ Mercury told Spirit. That was followed by, _**YAH! That Skarmory got too close to me for my comfort!**_

"We must hurry!" Heather called up to Kyle.

"No kidding!" He yelled back.

"**Let's keep running. Not much further!**" Spirit said, leaping over a fallen log. A puddle was splashed in and mud was kicked up. She sensed when Amanda flew overhead. "**Amanda! We're heading toward Mercury and Karen. What's going on?**"

"I don't know! There's a whole bunch of humans running around down there with tons of big machinery. I saw dynamite and so on. I think they are going to try to blow up the shrine!" Amanda cried down from the sky.

"There's the opening!" Mark shouted. He leaped into the air and hit a Crobat that was flying around. The bat fell to the ground with a groan.

Spirit saw the battle. Karen and Mercury were holding their own against three Skarmory. There had been originally four Skarmory in the battle, but one lay at the feet of the two Lugia. It looks like it had been dented in by a massive blow to its side. Mercury saw Spirit and cried, "**There you are! We've been dealing with the welcoming committee.**"

"Look! There are more of them!" The humans pointed at the newcomers.

Kyle did not hesitate. He stepped forward confidently and launched a Thunderbolt right at a Machamp. The large fighting Pokemon groaned in pain and fell to his knees. "That wasn't cool," he moaned before fainting.

"Look! A Raikou!" A man yelped, pointing at Kyle. "I have to catch it! Go! Marowak!" He sent out the smallish ground type Pokemon that evolved from Cubone. "Use Bone Rush!" The Marowak rushed at Kyle, holding her bone out in front of her.

"Kyle!" Heather cried, using Bubblebeam. She knew that Kyle, being an electric type, was weak against ground type attacks. The attack hit the Marowak and sent her flying into the sky. She fell with a loud crash to the ground.

"**Good job!**" Spirit cried, and then she was hit hard. Something plowed into her and sent her flying a few feet off of the ground. When she stood back up and regained her senses, she saw a large Tyranitar glaring at her.

"So, you are the white beast. I expected that you would have put up a better fight," he rumbled. His tail swished back and forth.

Spirit looked at the Tyranitar. She couldn't help but feel frightened. He was so much bigger than she was. And he had rock hard skin. She was going to have a difficult time fighting this monster. "**So, why do you wish to side with these humans?**" She asked.

The Tyranitar took a step forward, shattering the ground. "I have served under humans since I was a Larvitar. This is all that I know. I do understand that you are the sacred white beast, the heir to Arceus. But I do not care. You are my opponent. I will fight you."

"**I see. Very well. I will battle you and prove that I am the stronger.**" Spirit glared at the Tyranitar in an attempt to look unafraid. That was difficult to do. She was scared.

"Tyranitar! Use Hyper Beam!" The man standing behind the Tyranitar yelled. The Pokemon gladly complied, sending a massive beam of energy flying in Spirit's direction.

"**Ahhhh!**" Spirit cried as the blast sent her flying into the sky. She hit the ground hard.

The man grinned, "Good job! Now use Body Slam!" The Tyranitar raced forward. If the Body Slam hit Spirit, she would end up as a big pile of goo. Spirit had no time to react. No chance to escape.

Right then, something red hit the Tyranitar head on. A long gash appeared on the side of the Pokemon. "Gahhhh!! What was that?" He yelled, holding his side.

Spirit wobbled to her feet and tried to see what it was that saved her. She caught a flash of something racing off into the woods at full speed. Then courage filled her heart. Spirit looked at the wounded Tyranitar and growled. Her body began to glow slightly. "**JUDGMENT!**" She yelled, blasting the Tyranitar with the furious attack that originally belonged to Arceus. The Tyranitar fell backwards. He had fainted. Now Spirit had the chance to help the others.

"Spirit! Look out!" Amanda shouted from above. An entire flock of Pidgeot was chasing her. Every now and then, she would use Overheat to keep them from getting too close. However, using that attack was wearing her down. Soon she would run out of strength.

Spirit turned hard and watched as the snapping jaws of a Mightyena flew past. She felt the breeze from his mouth. "**What the?! A Mightyena!**" She gasped in shock. It had been a very long time since she had seen another Mightyena. But this one was all black and gray, not white.

"The white beast. It is a shame that I have to put an end to your reign. Take no offense, okay?" The black Mightyena growled, lowering his head and baring his teeth.

"**Then take no offense when I knock you into next week!**" Spirit yelled, launching herself at him. Her teeth racked against his fur. His jaws almost snapped shut on her tail. Spirit almost expected to see a cloud of teeth, claws, and fur flying about. The battle was insane! The Mightyena finally broke away from Spirit and raised his head up. Then he used Howl. Spirit knew that she had to defeat him before he became too motivated. If he used Howl too many times and became too excited, she would have a difficult time taking him down.

"Your end is near." The Mightyena snarled, opening his jaws to reveal his sharp teeth.

Spirit growled, baring her teeth. She knew that not all was lost. "**Try it," **she taunted, "**before I really get mad.**"

The Taunt worked. "How dare you!" He yelled, launching himself forward in rage. He hoped that if he hit her hard enough, he might make her faint in one blow.

Spirit dodged easily. "**Oh? Is that all? I was sure that a big tough Mightyena like you could defeat little old me.**" She began to use Swagger to make the Mightyena even angrier. Again it worked. The Mightyena attacked in a fury, even harming himself. Spirit continued to avoid his attacks, even just by a hair. "**Pathetic,**" she muttered.

"Will you stand still and let me hit you?!" Mightyena roared. However, in his outrage, the Mightyena did not realize that Spirit had placed him exactly where she wanted him. He was standing right below Mercury, Karen, and now two Skarmory.

"**Heh. I can't let you do that.**" Spirit grinned slowly. Then she nodded upwards. The Mightyena glanced up as well. Right then, a large Skarmory was knocked out of the sky by Karen and slammed hard into the Mightyena, sending both tumbling down into a ravine. "**They'll be okay. Maybe.**" Spirit seemed pleased with this.

"Spirit. There is too many Pokemon for us to deal with. Now what?" Karen asked.

"**That's true, Karen. There are too many. So here's what we do. We get that shard and bail.**" Spirit looked for a way to sneak in and steal the shard. There were so many guards, human and Pokemon alike. _There's no way we can get down there, grab the shard, and get back unnoticed. Someone is going to have to risk there life,_ Spirit thought.

Mercury seemed to have read Spirit's mind. "**I'll go,**" he said softly.

"**No, Mercury. You are too large to go down there. Someone smaller will have to steal that shard. And since Honchkrow and I are the smallest, I think that this should be between us.**" Spirit hated volunteering Honchkrow, who was battling several Zubat off in the trees. He had been through enough.

Suddenly, there was a voice. A strange male voice that was unfamiliar to Spirit. However she knew who it was. _**Spirit. If you will have me, I can guard you while you go down and take the shard.**_

Everyone had heard the voice that was in Spirit's party. "W-who was that?" Amanda asked. She had defeated the Pidgeot and had exhausted herself. Now she was resting on a log.

"**That was Kuro.**" Spirit said flatly.


	22. Chapter 22

"Kuro? Didn't you say that he was dead?" Karen asked. She sounded like she was skeptical. As well as she should have been since dead Pokemon rarely rise from their graves. Hearing that a long dead demon was back in the scene was truly surprising. And not to mention creepy.

"**I did. He died a very long time ago.**" Spirit sounded distracted. _What does that demon want with me? And how on earth did he revive after being dead for so long? This is getting crazier by the second!_ She thought.

_**Now that was rude. Spirit. I want you to listen very carefully. In about thirty seconds the lead guard will face north. You are on the south end and it is right then that you can sneak in and swipe the shard. You will only have a window of maybe ten seconds before he turns around and sees you. Do you understand?**_ Kuro's voice, if it could be called a voice, was fast and determined.

"**I guess,**" Spirit muttered.

_**Good, because you must go. Now!**_

Spirit did not waste any time. She lowered her head and bolted from her cover, leaped over rocks and logs, and flew over defeated Pokemon. She skidded into the shrine and immediately began to open it. This shrine had a large statue of a Mightyena on top with sapphire eyes. It was built to represent her. Inside of a small compartment was the shard. However, first a code must be put on the compartment's lock in order for it to open. Being that Spirit was the one who made the shrines, she knew the code to break inside. The word that would open the shrine's compartment and allow her to take the shard was: Hope. That was the word. Once she pressed the right keys, the drawer opened and the shard was seen. This all took about eleven seconds. And, just like Kuro had said, everyone was now gawking at the white Mightyena that had broken into the shrine and stolen the shard.

"Get that thing! It has the shard!!" One human guard yelled.

Spirit knew that trying to reason with the humans was pointless. They didn't speak the Pokemon language. "**Get back!**" She barked at the Pokemon, who could understand her threats.

Fortunately, Amanda, Kyle, Heather, and Mark had decided to help Spirit. They attacked in a full frontal assault. "Go! Go! Go!" Kyle yelled, shocking a Skuntank at will.

"Right!" Mark leaped over the shrine and used Flamethrower on a Drapion. Heather assisted him.

Amanda engaged a Yanmega. She had the advantage, being a fire type, but she could not let her guard down against the monster dragonfly.

"**Thanks, guys!**" Spirit called before grabbing the white shard and running toward the two Lugia and Honchkrow. Suddenly, and to Spirit's shock, the sky seemed to open up. At first, Spirit thought that maybe Dialga and Palkia had decided to go to her, but it was when the sky became a shade of greenish gray she realized that something else was coming.

Down it came, like a horrible monster, from the sky. When it reached the ground, Spirit saw who it was. Giratina, a dragon from a different dimension, had come. But why? This dragon was known as a protector of dead souls. No one had died from the battle.

"**What do you want?**" Spirit asked the dragon. She was clearly afraid of Giratina because she was unsure if he was an enemy or an ally.

"**I come from beyond to deliver a message. Spirit! Now that you have all four shards, you can change those humans back to normal. I have returned four dead souls to this world to assist in the ritual. They will guide you the rest of the way on your quest,**" Giratina said slowly.

All eyes locked on the dragon from beyond the grave. "**Who?**" Spirit asked.

Giratina ignored her question. Instead he said, "**They will appear to you not as humans, but as Pokemon. This is to insure that there is no confusion.**"

"Confusion?" Mark muttered. He was sitting on top of the Drapion that he and Heather fought against. The scorpion was not going anywhere.

"**Spirit. I wish you well on the final part of your journey. But the worse is just beginning. Now you must make the hardest choice of your life. Air, water, and earth. Who will they be?**" Giratina began to laugh darkly. Spirit knew what he was talking about. Who would she choose to remain Pokemon? Who would sacrifice their humanity to stay as a Pokemon? She wanted to speak to Giratina, but the dragon had vanished. Now she was looking at the battlefield. Humans and Pokemon alike were confused.

"Okay. Now what?" Amanda asked.

"**We move out,**" a new voice answered. This was a female's voice that came from the forest.

Spirit's ears twitched with familiarity. "**Who are you?!**" She yelled into the forest.

"**Now relax, Spirit. Everything is okay.**" Another female voice rang out.

"**Can we just go? Please?**" A third female asked.

"**Very well. Spirit! Let's go!**" A male voice yelled.

Everyone looked rigid. "W-who was that?" Mark stammered.

"I don't know," Heather whispered. She turned her head right and left, trying to see the people who were talking. Then she caught sight of something. "A Lucario!" She gasped.

"**Lucario?"** Spirit turned quickly.

The Lucario walked silently into view. The keen eyes locked onto Spirit and a smile came across the face of the Pokemon. "**Spirit. It has been a long time. How have you been?**" She asked.

"**Taylor!**" Spirit yelped.

"**That's right. I was sent back from the dead to help you finish your final task.**"

Spirit was so happy. An old friend had returned from the dead. At last, someone she could relate to! Then an Absol appeared. The dark Pokemon looked at Spirit and sat down. "**Hi, Spirit,**" Koneko said.

"**Koneko!**" Spirit cried. "**I can't believe that you're back!**"

Next to Koneko was a strange creature. He had long black fur and red eyes. He looked somewhat like a Mightyena, but much larger. "**It's nice to see you." **Kuro greeted Spirit.

"**Kuro! Thank you for giving me directions.**" Spirit was truly grateful to see her old friends. She looked up and saw a massive red Scizor walking forward. The Pokemon clacked its huge pinchers together and laughed. "**Klara!**"

"**I'm back!!!!**" Klara yelled giddily.


	23. Chapter 23

Spirit was relieved and very happy. "**I cannot believe that you have returned! This is great!!**" She was on the verge of crying of sheer happiness.

The others, however, were not as excited. "Who are they? And why are they dead?" Amanda wondered. She looked at the band of Pokemon. They didn't look so special.

Honchkrow overhead Amanda and answered, "Friends they are. Good friends. Koneko, true friend. Taylor, daughter of legendary trainer. Klara, spirit of authority and power. Kuro, the demon. Trust you must place in them. Yes. Yes."

"So are they all dead?" Heather asked.

"Yes." Honchkrow replied softly.

Kyle looked at the four dead souls and growled, "I don't trust this. These…things…are unnatural. They should have remained dead."

"**You shouldn't say that.**" Mercury muttered. "**These people are spoken of in the ancient legend. You really should show some respect.**"

Klara had heard what Kyle had said. "**Oh? What's this?"** She grinned and leaped over to him. "**Lookie here! Someone who thinks we should have stayed in the underworld.**" She looked into Kyle's eyes and lowered her voice. "**Do you know what it is like to be dead?**"

"No." Kyle whispered nervously.

Klara turned to face Taylor and Koneko. "**HAH! This runt says that we should have remained dead, but he has no idea what it is like to be dead!! How sweet!**" She crowed. She glanced back at Kyle and said, "**The next time you say something that insensitive, I will separate your head from your body. Then you will know what it is like to be dead.**"

"Jeez, that Scizor is really nasty." Mark whimpered.

Koneko heard Mark and glanced at him. "**Klara has her reasons to be angry. For one, she believed that the machine would never be rediscovered. Obviously it was found. That makes Klara very angry. She gave her life to help the future, but in the end she failed."**

All eyes focused on the Scizor, who had walked away. "That's a good reason to be mad," Karen muttered to herself.

Spirit sighed, "**Okay. I think we need to go. Those humans won't turn back themselves. We need to help them. Sooner than later would be nice.**"

"Right." Amanda agreed, opening her long wings and flapping them. Mercury and Karen raised their wings as well. Mark, Kyle, and Heather trotted out of the forest, following Koneko, Taylor, Kuro, and Klara.

"**Let's move out!**" Spirit yelled, breaking out into a full run. Koneko followed next to her. Taylor, running on two legs, kept up with them easily. Klara leaped from branch to branch. Kuro ran gracefully alongside Koneko.

Up above the trees, a conversation was going on between Karen, Amanda, and Mercury. None of them were thrilled with having the long dead people. "I can't believe that those dead Pokemon are here! That's not cool!" Amanda complained.

Karen agreed fiercely, "I know! You'd think that the dragon trio would have enough faith in us! They really didn't have to send back the people from the legend."

"**Well, we are lucky in a way. It isn't everyday when someone encounters someone from an extremely old legend. We should consider ourselves lucky.**" Mercury said softly.

"Lucky?! What does luck have to do with anything?!" Amanda yelled at the top of her lungs. "We aren't lucky! We're just some dumb kids!"

Mercury nodded understandingly, "**That's true. But, if you think about it, weren't the legendary humans that transformed into Pokemon originally kids? So you are not much different than they were, yes?"**

Both Amanda and Karen grew silent with that fact out in the open. All three followed Honchkrow, who had flown ahead of them. He called out once the city had come into view. "Ready are we? City in sight!"

"Oh wonderful," Kyle muttered. He was still angry with how Klara embarrassed him in front of everyone.

Finally, the running stopped. Spirit was standing on a ridge that was overlooking the city. Next to her stood Koneko, Taylor, and Klara. "**Well, do you all have any brilliant plans?"** She asked.

Kuro, who had followed a bit slower, trotted up to them and answered, "**Yes. Return those humans back to normal. Then we can all return to our states of normalcy. You, Spirit, will become supreme Pokemon once the ritual is complete. On the other hand, we will sink back into darkness.**"

"That's a pleasant thought," Amanda muttered, landing next to him.

"**It is the truth, young one.**" Kuro replied softly.

Klara folded her arms across her metal chest and muttered, "**That doesn't mean that we like it though.**"

Spirit sighed and watched. Most of the former humans had grown used to being Pokemon. But it was still unnatural. "**Alright. Let's finish this.**" She said, leaping off of the ridge and into the valley. The others followed.

"I can't wait to take a nap!" Mark yelled, skidding down the hill on his massive paws.

"Agreed!" Heather nodded her head.

After a few seconds of skidding, or in some cases flying, down the ridge, Spirit yelled to the random assortment of Pokemon. "**Listen to me! I can save you! You can return to human!**" She yelled.

Many of the humans turned to face her and asked, "How? How can you save us?"

Klara stepped forward and yelled, "**Who cares?! The point is that she can save you. And she will. Isn't that right, Spirit?**" She looked back and winked. "**Come to us. Let us save you.**"

Taylor joined Klara. "**Right. You will return to human. And you can go about your lives.**"

Koneko and Kuro sat and watched as the humans slowly began to gather. "We want to be human again!" They all called.

"**Then gather around us closer.**" Spirit yelled. She turned around to face Amanda. "**Do you still have the shards?**"

"Yes." Amanda nodded and began to pick them out of her feathers. All four shards laid together in a pile. Taylor began to snap the shards together, forming the sacred objectcould transform the Pokemon back into humans. Once she had finished, a multi-colored mirror was created.

"**Stand back.**" Taylor warned, focusing. Using the power of Aura, she made the mirror begin to glow. "**The power of Aura will prevail**" She called, sending out a wave of energy at the crowd. The masses screamed, but the voices had changed from Pokemon to human. Once the light had weakened, the Pokemon had returned to human.

"We're saved!!" They cried. Most fell on their knees and wept. Some began to dance around.

"**Good. They are saved. However…**" Spirit glanced back at the others.

Kyle walked to her and said, "We're ready to return to human."

Spirit hesitated. "**Ummm…there's something I was meaning to tell you. This mirror only has enough power to return some people back to human. There are limits. And it has almost reached its limit. I can perhaps return two or three of you back, but some of you must remain Pokemon."**

"WHAT?!" Kyle, Heather, Mark, Karen, and Amanda all screamed at once.

"**In order to save the world, there must be a great guardian and three others. These others will be the guardians of air, earth, and water. The original guardians are dead and they must be replaced.**"

"WHAT?!"

"**I wanted to tell you, but I knew how you would react. I don't blame you for freaking out.**" Spirit lowered her head.

Kyle exploded. "How dare you drag us all over the place and not tell us anything! If there was a chance that not all of us could return to human, you should have told us from the very beginning!"

Heather agreed, "Exactly! Spirit, you didn't have to hide anything from us!"

"**But you would have resisted.**" Spirit said.

Mercury broke the tension, "**Actually, Spirit…you only need one human to remain. You have Honchkrow and I. We could be guardians.**"

Karen whipped her head to Mercury. "What?" She asked.

"**You could return to human, Karen. You could be normal again.**" Mercury explained.

"**Anyone who remains as a Pokemon will have to job of being a guardian of whatever they want to be. It is your choice.**" Taylor reminded them.

Klara nodded, "**Right. Decide soon. Time is running out.**"

Koneko whispered, "**This is a big decision. Let them take their time.**"


	24. Chapter 24

The argument concerning who was going to be stuck as a Pokemon pressed on. Mercury and Honchkrow had agreed to take the roles as guardians of the sea and skies respectively. It was up to the humans to decide the final guardian. And they were no where near deciding yet. This made the ancient ones amused.

"**Boy, did we act this stupid when we were younger?**" Klara wondered, watching the argument.

Koneko sighed, "**They are not acting stupid. They are deciding the fate of the world.**"

"**Well, can they decide faster?**" Taylor yawned, revealing her teeth.

Finally, it was Mark who yelled, "I will do it!" All eyes locked on the Entei. "I will do this. I will remain an Entei."

"Mark no! You can't!" Heather cried, running to her cousin. "I won't let you!"

"It is the only way." Mark said softly.

Kyle leaped to his cousin and yelled, "You dolt! Don't do anything you'll regret!"

"I don't regret this. Kyle. Heather. When I was a human, I was a cry baby. Now that I'm a big Entei, I'm brave. I need to stay in this form. Can you imagine what would happen to me if I went back to human? It'd be wedgies all around from bullies and big kids." Mark explained.

Mercury nodded, "**Well then. Spirit. We have decided that Mark shall be our third person.**"

Suddenly, Karen cried, "No! No! Mercury! I….I…."

"**What is it?**" He asked.

She looked down and said, "I'm staying too."

"**What? Karen if you do that, then you will never be a human ever again."**

"Then let that be my decision. Mercury, as a human, I never had anybody. But as a Lugia, I have you."

"**Karen…"** Mercury nuzzled her.

Spirit blinked, "**Ooookay. So now we have two staying as a Pokemon."**

"Make it three!" Heather reared up on her hind legs and howled.

Kyle looked horrified. "What? Heather! Have you lost it?!"

"No. For once my eyes have been opened. We can't let Mark go out on his own. And if Karen is brave enough to stay as a Lugia, then I will too."

Mark's jaw dropped. "Sister…"

Amanda, who had been debating on whether or not to stay a Pokemon, finally said, "Me too. Heather is my best friend. And I've grown close to everyone here. I want to stay as a Ho-oh and help in any way possible."

"**And the only person who is returning to human is Kyle."** Spirit said.

Kyle's head lowered in defeat. "Do you really think I'm going to return to human when my own sister and cousin are going to stay as Pokemon?"

"No. You're not going to become human, huh?" Heather nodded slowly.

"I'm going to stay as a Raikou. Just to help protect the world as well."

Spirit's mouth dropped open. _All of that outrage and yet every single one of them will remain a Pokemon. Now that's loyalty. Just because one of them can't return to human, all of them will stay as Pokemon. _Spirit smiled to herself. "**Very well. Then you all will remain as Pokemon. Klara. You do the honors. Destroy the mirror.**"

Klara nodded and shattered the mirror with a massive pincher. "**It is done. None of you will even be human again.**"

"That's okay with us." Amanda replied.

"**Very well. Spirit. The time has come for you to become the supreme Pokemon and heal the world. We will lead you to the shrine. But there is a catch…"** Koneko winked.

"**What is that?**" Spirit asked. Suddenly she felt time shift. Something was wrong. When everything reverted to normal, she found herself at a familiar area. Crystals and strange flowers where everywhere. "**This can't be. Where are we?"**

Taylor smiled, "**Welcome to the place where you died."**

"**The Land of the Legendaries?**" Spirit yelped.

"**Right. We're standing at the base of the Tree of Beginning. Of course this is in the past. Right before this area was completely destroyed by humans. You can alter everything. You and your fellow guardians."** Taylor answered.

"So this is the sacred land? Very nice." Kyle muttered, looking around.

Spirit nodded slowly. "**I understand. Come on.**" She began to go inside of a cave. Then a familiar sound hit her ears. Rumbling. It sounded like…"**Regirock!!!**"

"**Oh yeah. I forgot about those guys. We better hurry.**" Klara waved a claw.

The band of Pokemon ran inside of a tunnel. They had to make it to the heart of the Tree of Beginning in order to reach the shrine. And they had to avoid Regirock, Registeel, and Regice. "Which way?" Mark asked when they reached a forked tunnel.

Taylor stepped forward, "**Allow me to show you the way.**" Her eyes closed and she used Aura to see which way was correct. "**This way.**" She said, running ahead. Her feet made very little sound on the rocks.

"Look at this. Crystals!" Mark gasped.

Klara examined the crystals. "**I didn't notice them on our first trip in here. I guess I was too scared to see them.**"

"**The Tree of Beginning will recognize humans as a threat. That's what Dad said. He told me that when Sir Aaron's Lucario took him and his friends here, some red Pokemon shaped blobs attacked and would absorb the humans into them. Dad said that he blanked out after he was absorbed. Mew released them and everyone, except the Lucario, escaped.**" Taylor muttered.

"You sure know a lot, Taylor!" Mark said.

"**I have been around a very long time.**" She answered, stopping her run. "**Ah. The lake. We're getting close.**" With that, she continued up the path toward the heart of the massive rock.

"Look! Aerodactyl!" Heather gasped.

Being that they were in a large cavern, Karen, Mercury, Amanda, and Honchkrow could fly. They were getting tired of walking. "This is a good excuse to stretch our wings!" Amanda said with a laugh.

"Right! Fly let us!" Honchkrow cried, flapping hard and joining the Aerodactyl in the air.

Karen and Mercury looked at each other. "**What are we waiting for? Let's fly!**" Mercury opened his wings and flapped into the air. He watched Karen rise into the air.

"**What are you four doing? We don't have all day to rest!**" Spirit called to them. Her voice sounded annoyed.

"Right! We're landing!" Karen landed neatly next to Spirit.

"**Let's continue.**" Kuro muttered quietly.

"Yes. Let's go." Kyle agreed. He leaped to a ledge and looked around. "I have no idea where we are going. Taylor? Care to take a look?"

The Lucario nodded her head and joined Kyle on the ledge. She looked around and twisted her ears in order to pick up sounds. "**Not too far.**" She said to him. Then she jumped off of the ledge and landed neatly next to Koneko. "**We're almost there. How shall we go?**"

Kuro's eyes shut. "**Hmmm…we need to hurry. The Regis are beginning to grow tired of us. They may decide to attack.**"

"Then we should fight them!" Amanda yelled.

"**It isn't that easy. They are dangerous opponents.**" Koneko said quietly.

Spirit nodded, "**She's right. Let's just get up there as quickly as possible.**"

"Ummm…forgive my ignorance, but where exactly is the shrine?" Heather asked.

Everyone looked blank. "**We must find Mew. She will know.**" Kuro answered. He sniffed the ground and began to walk forward.

"And do you have any idea where Mew will be?" Kyle asked.

"**Yes. In the meadow. She will be sleeping.**" Kuro replied, not looking at him. "**Taylor. Show us the way.**"

She nodded and began to run. Everyone followed behind her. They exited the tunnel and found themselves in a forest area. "**I don't remember this area.**" Klara looked blank.

"**We never passed through here.**" Koneko said.

"How much longer?" Kyle whined.

"**Not much.**" Taylor answered, but now she sounded distracted.

Honchkrow opened his wings and rose up into a tree. "Rest, I need." He moaned.

"**No. No rest. We go.**" Spirit ordered. She didn't want to sound mean, but she wanted to get this over with. With a growl, she prodded everyone up and they staggered into another cave. Everyone was exhausted, but they knew they couldn't rest.

For a time, everyone was silent. Most were half asleep. All could fall over and let their feet rest. None stopped. Finally, Taylor yelled, "**Stop. Stop!**"

"What? What?" Kyle sat down and looked at her tiredly.

"**We have company,**" she said simply.

Right then, a Mew came out of a cave and said, "**You have come from the future in order to save the past.**" She looked at everyone with light blue eyes. "**I know you. Koneko, the true friend. Taylor, the daughter of the legendary trainer. Klara, the strong being. Kuro, the demon. Spirit, the legend in herself.**" The Mew looked away from the elders and to the younger Pokemon. "**Amanda, the voice of perseverance. Heather, the voice of reason. Kyle, the loyal Raikou. Mark, the brave one. Karen, the intelligent. Mercury, a Lugia who gave up everything he knew to assist in this quest. And Honchkrow, one of my closest friends.**"

"How does Mew know us?" Kyle whispered.

Spirit looked at him and answered, "**Mew knows everything.**"

"**I am deeply honored to greet you all. I am also deeply saddened that Arceus passed. It is a shame that such a powerful being was overcome by such an awful way of death. And you do not have to tell me why you have come. I understand the ritual. Come. Follow me. I will lead you to the shrine."** Mew began to float away.

Suddenly, both Karen and Mercury chanted, "**Climb to the shrine to right what is wrong and the world will be healed by the guardian's song.**"

Mew glanced over her shoulder and nodded, "**That is right. Come. This is your final task. The ritual is at hand!**"


	25. Chapter 25

Mew guided Spirit and the others deep within the heart of the Tree of Beginning. Everything was working out to its final resolution, where Spirit would become the supreme Pokemon and bring peace back to the world. In order to even reach the shrine, Dialga had to teleport Spirit and the others back in time.

"Boy, I can't wait to get to the top!" Mark was excited. He leaped up a hill with ease.

Heather walked gracefully alongside of her brother, Kyle. "I wonder what Mom will say…" She worried.

Kyle paused for several seconds, and then said, "She'd be proud of us."

"Jeez, for once he's in a humble mood," Amanda remarked, gliding overhead. Now that they had reached an opening in the caves, she could fly. So could Karen, Mercury, and Honchkrow.

"**That's a shocker.**" Mercury joked. He shot a glance at Karen, wanting to see her reaction.

She laughed, "You're right!"

The elders did not laugh. They were focused on finishing this. "**There is something up ahead.**" Taylor, still using Aura to see where she was going, announced.

Klara growled, "**If it is an enemy, we'll just thump it in the ground.**" She clacked her massive pinchers together.

Koneko and Kuro noticed the ground begin to rumble. "**Now what?**" Koneko wondered. Suddenly, the ground opened up and something appeared.

Mew created a pink shield around everyone so that the rocks that were blown everywhere wouldn't harm them. Four Pokemon appeared from the crater. "**Regigigas, so you have come. And with followers.**" Mew observed. Regigigas, Regirock, Regice, and Registeel stood in front of them, blocking the path to the shrine.

"**I am here to test the purity of Spirit and her followers.**" The massive Regi rumbled.

Spirit rolled her eyes. _I am getting so tired of these random battles, _she thought with a sigh.

Klara and Taylor leaped in front of Spirit and yelled, "**We have fought you before and we won! What's stopping us from kicking your butts again?**" During the original battle, Taylor managed to shatter Regirock's arm and Klara dented in Registeel. Of course, both Regis had healed. There was no sign of them being wounded.

"**Back then, I wasn't there to assist.**" Regigigas answered, stepping forward.

Mew sighed quietly, "**Spirit. I fear that you must fight them. After the fight, then you can reach the shrine.**"

"**Very well.**" Spirit answered. With a roar, she leaped in front of Klara and Taylor. "**Alright! Let's fight!**"

Regigigas didn't answer. He lunged forward, grabbing Kyle. "Ahhhh! Let me go!" He yelled, trying to bite the Regi with his fangs. Then Regigigas used Crush Grip. "Ahhhhhhhh!!!" Kyle wailed as the pressure grew more intense as each second passed.

"Let go of my brother!!!" Heather yelled, using Ice Beam. The attack did next to nothing. "Kyle!"

Spirit walked forward boldly. So did Klara, Taylor, Koneko, and Kuro. "**Let's do it. Klara and Taylor? Do what you do best,"** Spirit ordered.

"**Right!**" Klara leaped into the sky. "**Metal Claw!**" She yelled, slamming both pinchers on Regigigas.

"**Aura Sphere!**" Taylor launched several blasts of light at the Regi. Being that Regigigas was a normal type, the attack did massive damage. "**Direct hit!**" She crowed.

Right then, the other three Regis attacked. Karen and Mercury, not wanting to miss out on the action, used Hydro Pump on Regirock. The rock Pokemon went down hard. "That was cool!" Karen cried.

"**Attack!!!**" Koneko leaped at Regice, her old nemesis and used Razor Wind. The Pokemon turned and used Icy Wind. Koneko dodged the attack and leaped at Regice. "**Night Slash!**" She yelled.

Meanwhile, in the battle against Registeel, Mark used Flamethrower. Kyle followed up with a Thunderbolt and Heather used Bubblebeam. Amanda joined Mark in a Flamethrower attack. All four attacks were too much for Registeel. The Regi collapsed in a heap.

"**Registeel is down!**" Kuro yelled, running all out at Regigigas. He used Extremespeed, slamming headfirst into the massive Regi with all his might.

Regigigas laughed, "**Is that the best you can do?**" He lifted Kuro up off of the ground and threw him. Kuro hit the ground hard.

"**Kuro!**" Koneko cried.

Karen flew over to the fallen demon and used a barrier to protect him against Regigigas' constant attacks. "I could use a bit of help here!" She cried.

Mercury was all over Regigigas. "**Take this!**' He yelled, glowing red.

"**What are you doing?**" The massive Regi bellowed.

Mercury lowered his head and answered, "**Sky Attack.**" With that, he burst into bright white flames and shot toward Regigigas. The attack connected and knocked the Regi backwards.

Spirit saw her chance and ran at the lead Regi with a roar. She leaped at him and used Take Down. The attack hit hard and knocked the air out of Regigigas. "**Ooooahhhhh!**" He moaned, falling onto his back hard.

"**Do you surrender?**" Spirit asked confidently. Klara, Taylor, and Koneko stood behind her, ready to strike at a moments notice.

Regigigas hesitated and Klara decided to threaten him. "**If you don't surrender, we will utterly annihilate your comrades. Registeel and Regirock are already down for the count. Don't make us destroy them.**"

Koneko sighed and shook her head, "**That's Klara for you. Hot-headed and ready for action.**"

After hearing Klara's threat, Regigigas was not as willing to continue the battle. He turned his many eyed face toward Mew and said, "**I do not wish for my fellow Regi to be destroyed. Call off the attack.**"

Mew nodded slowly and said, "**Spirit. You may pass though. You have successfully defeated the guardians of the Tree of Beginning.**"

"That's good, right?" Kyle muttered.

"**Yes."** Mew answered.

"Oh. Okay."

Spirit ignored Kyle and walked forward. _Destiny lies ahead,_ she thought.

"**This way. Follow me.**" Mew floated down the final hall. The air smelled fresher. There were more crystals. The end of the journey had come. "**There.**" Mew pointed to a staircase in the rock.

"Up there?" Mark asked.

Spirit sighed, "**Yes. Let's go.**" She walked ahead of the group, trying her best to look like a leader.

Mew followed closely behind her. "**Are you frightened?**" She asked.

"**A little.**" Spirit answered honestly.

Mew smiled and pointed, "**The sky. Not too much further.**"

The group had reached the very top of the Tree of Beginning. The night sky was visible from above. In front of the group was an uprising in the rock. "Is that a podium?" Heather asked.

No one answered her. Everyone was in awe. "**Step forward, Spirit. The moment of destiny has come.**" Mew whispered, floating next to Spirit.

Spirit nodded and walked forward. She did her best to walk silently. This was sacred ground. She took her place at the podium and looked around. The view from the top of the Tree of Beginning was breathtaking. She could see for miles. "**Wow…**" She whispered.

Behind her, Mercury, Mark, and Honchkrow took their places next to the podium. Karen, Heather, Amanda, and Kyle walked next to the trio. "We're not leaving you." Amanda said.

Koneko, Taylor, Klara, and Kuro watched from the rear of the group. "**Well, I guess after Spirit does the little song, we're back to being dead, huh?**" Klara muttered. She folded her arms across her chest and sighed heavily.

"**Yes, but at least we did something great.**" Kuro pointed out.

"**True. We did help our old friend. That counts for something.**" Koneko agreed.

Taylor looked at the sky. "**But it still doesn't change what will happen to us.**"

Finally, with the moon overhead, Spirit felt the song. She could _feel_ it deep within her heart. _Arceus was right. I do know the song._ Spirit smiled inwardly and took a deep breath. In a moaning howl, she began. The actual song is regularly performed by Lugia when calming raging storms, but when sung by the supreme Pokemon, the effects are enhanced.

Slowly, the others began to sing the song as well. Mercury and Karen, two Lugia, sang the song in their strange whale-like moans. Amanda screeched the tune out. Heather, Kyle, and Mark joined together in a weird multi-layered harmony. Even Honchkrow, who wasn't known for singing, joined in.

While singing the song, Spirit could sense that in her own time, not in this warped time that Dialga placed them in, forests were reforming. The waters became clear. The skies lost their pollution. Things were becoming green again.

When the song ended, Spirit turned to face her friends. They were no longer humans. These people were Pokemon and would always be Pokemon. "**My…children.**" Spirit had no idea why she said that. It sounded like something Arceus would have said.

"**Don't push yourself.**" Mew said gently. "**Spirit. You are a Pokemon, but you are also a human. You have the qualities of both. Learn to use them well and to the benefit of all living things.**"

"**I will and thank you. I won't forget you.**" Spirit said to Mew.

Mew smiled, "**I know you won't. And now that you have healed the world, my kind will not die out after all. You have save countless species of Pokemon. They all owe you their lives.**"

"**I owe this to my friends as well. I couldn't make it this far without them.**" Spirit turned to face Amanda, Kyle, Heather, Mark, Karen, Mercury, and Honchkrow. "**Thank you.**"

"You are very welcome." Amanda answered.

"**I need to thank…uhhh….where did they go?**" Spirit looked around. "**Where are Koneko, Taylor, Klara, and Kuro?**"

Mew shook her head, "**They have passed on. They did their duties and that was what they were sent back to do. Those four will live on, but only in your memories.**"

Spirit nodded slowly. Then a bright light filled her eyes and she found herself standing in the middle of the field. The others, her friends, stood next to her. They were all true legendary Pokemon now. "**So, now what do we do?**" Kyle asked. Everyong looked at Spirit. She had the answer. She always did, even in the toughest situation.

Spirit looked up into the sky and closed her eyes. "**We live on."**


End file.
